Fairy Academy
by Fusion0104
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia transfers to Fairy Academy, a school full of weirdos. Despite the strange events, people and the school they rival with, she grows to love this new academy over her former strict young ladies' academy. High School AU
1. Chapter 1 - It's Lucy, You Idiot

Chapter 1

 _Fairy Academy_. She mused. _Of all the schools in Magnolia, why Fairy Academy?_

Lucy Hearfilia stood in front of said school, arms crossed against her chest, decked out in the school uniform. Grey pinstriped skirt, white button down, blue-and-white stripped tie and a yellow vest on top. Knee length navy blue socks and grey shoes. Her blonde bangs were pulled to one side and tied with a pink ribbon.

At sixteen, Lucy came from one of the most richest families in all of Fiore and had studied in a strict all-girls academy up till last year. Her dad was expanding his business beyond Fiore to a small neighbouring country, Veronica. Since he was also moving his staff from their mansion, Jude Heartfilia relocated his daughter to Magnolia, the centre of his business, so someone was always looking over the heiress.

He had picked out five schools for his daughter to choose from, and Lucy had chosen Fairy Academy. Days later even after moving into her one bedroom apartment on Strawberry Street, she wondered why she had picked such a school.

All around the courtyard, students were milling around, chattering amongst themselves. Some boys were busy fighting, while a group of friends laughed together without a care in the world. Compared to the staid, solid and snooty girls from her old school, everyone seemed lively and down-to-earth. _And boisterous..._ _Where am I supposed to go?_ She thought nervously. _No, no. I can't be nervous. This is -_

"Oh you must be the new student. I am Erza Scarlet, vice president of the student council." Lucy's eyes widened slightly. Erza Scarlet was several inches taller, with brown eyes and, well, scarlet hair that fell down her back. With the maroon blazer and a stern expression, Erza seemed like the type of person you should _never_ cross...

Lucy smiled. "I'm Lucy. Where am I supposed to go?" Despite being overwhelmed by the students, all the years of talking to strangers at balls and gatherings finally paid off.

"This is your locker number. You're in class 3-B with me." Erza smiled warmly at the blode. "Come on, it's getting late."

Lucy nodded, hurrying after her.

-/-

"I need some stuff from my locker. There it is, down the hall. You go on ahead, Lucy. "

"Sure. Thanks Erza!" Lucy decided she liked the redhead. Erza was honest and strict about discipline, but she was also kind and helpful. _At least I've already made one friend._ She thought.

She was about to enter her class when -

"Hey! Watch out!"

A bucket full of ice cold water fell down partially drenching Lucy, as a pink haired boy pushed her out of the way.

"THAT WAS MEANT FOR DROOPY EYES!" He cried, glaring at Lucy. "Don't you see here you're going? You ruined my plan!"

A taller raven haired boy emerged from the door way, a small smirk on his lips. "Oh please Flame Brain you really expect me to fall for that? How stupid do you think I am?"

"Uh, Gray?" A petite blunette piped up. She pointed at his chest. "Your shirt. "

Gray's eyes widened. "Crap! Where the hell did my shirt go?" He suddenly noticed Lucy, her clothes wet, still in shock. "Can I borrow yours?"

Lucy snapped out of her stupor. She aimed a kick at his chest. "YOU PERVERT!"

"Ow!" He stumbled to his seat with groan, sitting down. " AH! SHIT SHIT SHIT! FLAME BRAIN!" He aimed a punch at the pink haired boy, who responded with a kick. Soon they were just a blur of black, white and pink. Lucy's eyes widened. Placed on his seat was a piece of hot coal. How did someone even sneak that into school?

"Hey, you should really get cleaned up before class starts." The blue haired girl said to Lucy. "I can take you to the bathroom?" She offered.

"Thanks." Lucy said, gratefully. "I'm Lucy."

"Levy. Nice to meet you!"

"Likewise. We should hurry before I catch a cold."

-/-

The two emerged from the bathroom a couple minutes later, giggling.

"Lu-chan, I-I can't believe you ship Yamada with M-Miyumora!" Levy struggled to reply over her laughter.

"Oh come on, Levy-chan. Haven't you ever considered them together?" Lucy smirked as her new friend blushed bright red.

"Uh, maybe once or twice... " Levy admitted. "But I support Yamada and Shiriashi too!" She declared passionately. The first bell echoed through the hall, snapping the two girls out of their hysteria.

"Oh crap. Hurry Lu-chan!"

-/-

Back in their classroom, Erza was standing by the teachers desk, throwing murderous glares at two particularly banged up boys sitting in the last row. "I'm afraid Professor is late again." She announced. "Also, we have a new student." She gestured to Lucy who stood beside her. "This is Lucy. She is new to Magnolia. I trust we will all make her feel absolutely at home. Isn't that right, Natsu and Gray?" She glared at the two again.

The two boys got the message as they stood up to address the blonde.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster." The raven haired said. "I'm sorry for 'harassing' you." He sent a sheepish smile in her direction.

"And I'm Natsu Dragneel." The pinkette piped up. "I'm sorry for getting you wet." His eyes widened as he realised his mistake. "Uh, I mean, sp-spilling water on you. Please forgive me before Erza kills me!" Lucy glanced at Erza, who really was glaring at Natsu. "It's okay." She said quickly. "I should've been more careful. Besides I got to meet Levy-chan. So it's no big deal."

Personally she felt bad for the two. Who knew what Erza was capable of? Natsu caught her eye, smiling gratefully. "Thanks, Luigi! You should really work on your clumsiness though!"

Anger shot through her veins as she marched to to his seat. _Seriously? I tried to save him from Erza and he insults me? Idiot!_ Kicking him where it hurts most, she yelled, "It's Lucy, you idiot!"

 **Hello! First chapter of Fairy Academy! What do you think? Reviews are appreciated!**

 **Anime/Manga Mentioned : **

**\- Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches**


	2. Chapter 2 - Where's Your Shirt, Stripper

Chapter 2 - Where's Your Shirt, Stripper?

Fourth period was chemistry, Lucy's least favourite subject. There was something about the explosions and reactions that scared the hell out of her. And it felt like the fates knew that all too well, which is why she was paired up with _Natsu_ _Dragneel_ of all people.

Levy had told her all about Natsu and Gray after home room.

Natsu wasn't exactly popular, but he was definitely well known around school because a) he had pink hair, b) he was on the track team (and had even broken a couple of records) and c) he's known as a pyromaniac cause he blew up the chemistry lab twice and -oddly enough- is the highest scorer in chemistry, in all of Magnolia.

Gray Fulbuster on the other hand was captain of the hockey team, and had girls falling for him, trying to break his icy cold exterior. Levy made him sound like some extremely popular playboy and then revealed what a goof he really was. She claimed he had the charms of a donkey (which was really saying something). Levy knew them since middle school which was when Natsu and Gray's rivalry began.

Erza was also _one of them_ and Levy promised to introduce her during lunch.

-/-

Sliding into the seat beside her explosive classmate, she whispered: "If you're gonna blow up the class again, _please give me a warning_. I don't need you destroying my clothes _again_. "

Natsu bit his lip. _It really wasn't the new girl's fault that he couldn't prank Stripper. Though he got his revenge with the hot coal._ He smirked.

"Why do you look like you're already planning my funeral?" Lucy asked.

"Huh? I'm just thinking about how to piss off Stripper."

"I still don't get why you guys hate each other."

"It's mutual. By the way, uh, Luce. I'm sorry about blaming you. About the prank, I mean."

She raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you already apologise?"

"But then you kicked me. Hey do you practise martial arts?"

"Wha- no way. I wanted to but my dad thinks it's not _lady-like_." Lucy crossed her arms. "And my name is Lucy. Not Luce and not _Luigi_."

He grinned nervously. "It was an honest mistake." He protested. "Besides Luce is easier to pronounce than Lucy. "

"It's just an extra syllable." She said raising an eyebrow.

"Ah forget it!" Natsu said raising his hands up in surrender. "Okay so I'll do the experiment and you do the recording stuff."

"Seriously?" Lucy couldn't help but sigh in relief. "Don't worry. Recording is the easy part. Mixing dangerous chemicals? Not so much?" She shuddered.

"Chillax, Luce." Natsu reassured. "Just watch the master at work."

-/-

There weren't a lot of blunettes in Fairy Academy. One of them was Levy. Her hair was a royal blue colour and brushed past her shoulders. With her flowery headband, petite body and hazel eyes, she looked a wood nymph.

Compared to her, sophomore Wendy Marvell was a pixie. She was shorter than Levy, barely five feet and her waist length hair was a deep blue. Her brown eyes were larger than Lucy's. Wendy Marvel, at fifteen was the epitome of innocence.

She was also incredibly sweet and polite. "So Lucy-san, how was your day?" She asked, her bento precariously balanced on her lap.

"Well, it started with a splash." Lucy replied, pausing to have a bite of her lunch. "When Natsu caused a bucket of water to fall on me."

They were sitting in the school courtyard. Levy and Wendy were sitting on the bench under a willow tree while Erza was leaning against the tree. Lucy was perched on the low wall facing her new friends.

"And it would've ended with a bang, Lu-chan." Levy continued. "Had it not been for Erza."

"What did Erza do?" Wendy asked, confused.

"She drenched me and Natsu in water. I didn't even know the chemistry lab had buckets that big." Lucy said. "Thank god Erza and I are almost the same uniform size."

"If Erza hadn't come to your rescue, Natsu would've blown up the lab again." Levy chided her blonde friend.

"Oh it was nothing." Erza said looking up from her slice of strawberry cake. "The same thing happened two weeks ago as well."

"I don't get. How does Natsu still have amazing grades in chemistry if he's a pyro?"

"It's because when Natsu is focused about something, nothing can stop him from achieving it." Wendy replied. "By the way, Levy, here's the volume I borrowed." She handed Levy a manga volume titled _'Hunter x Hunter_ '.

Lucy smiled when she saw it. "I didn't know you read manga too, Wendy."

"Oh that's how we actually met." Levy said with a laugh. "In the manga section of the library."

"How come you guys are talking about manga without me?" A voice behind Lucy cried indignantly. Before she could turn around, the owner of the voice plopped down on the wall beside her.

"Oh it's you, Flame Brain." Lucy said dismissively. Before Natsu could protest another person sat down on her other side.

"Ha! Lucy agrees with me." Gray remarked triumphantly.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Where's _your_ shirt, Stripper?"

"Shit, not again!"

-/-

The rest of the classes passed a daze and before she knew it Lucy was unlocking the door to her apartment. Her father had insisted she get a larger place but Lucy refused. She wanted something compact, which she could maintain on her own. It's not like servants were a problem, but after living amongst maids and butlers all her life, Lucy wanted to try and be independent for once. Yet her father had bought the most expensive apartment on the block and had it furnished exquisitely to make up for the lack of space.

Lucy entered her living room, shrugging off her shoes as she glanced past the full length window out of habit. Dropping her school bag on the nearest leather couch, she headed to her bedroom.

Shedding her, well Erza's uniform, she stepped into her bathroom for a much awaited bath. She emerged twenty minutes later dressed in plaid pink pyjama bottoms and a white tank top. She tossed her own damp uniform into the washing machine along with yesterday's clothes and started the cycle.

Attached to her living room was an open kitchen and a small round table that seated three. Opposite to the large window was balcony. Even from the third floor, all of Magnolia looked breath taking. The distant hum of the microwave was replaced by a sharp _ting_ snapping her out of her daze. Lucy pulled out a bowl of mac-and-cheese before sitting down on her sofa and pressing play.

Today was her first day at Fairy Academy. She had made some totally awesome friends like Levy, Wendy and Erza. Even Gray was pretty cool once you got used to his strange stripping habit. And Natsu? Lucy didn't know what to make of him. He wasn't the sharpest knife but there was something striking about him. A sense of humility? A sense of humour? A sense of reality? He was completely different from her friends back at her old school. For them, their image was everything. For Natsu? Each day seemed like a new one.

 _Woah_ , she thought, _I barely know the guy and I'm already being philosophical about him?_

Shaking her head, Lucy turned back to the movie she was watching. But even _The Fault in Our Stars_ couldn't distract her from Fairy Academy.

-/-

The next day was pretty much the same. Study, study, study until gym class. Unlike Levy, Lucy didn't hate gym class, but she wasn't the most athletic like Erza either. Couch Sagittarius blew his whistle. "Three laps around the ground. Quick!"

Every one ran off almost instantly. Lucy wasn't one for running but she was surprised that she easily managed to keep up with the rest of the class. Putting on an extra burst of speed, Lucy burst ahead finishing fourth after Natsu, Erza and Gray.

"I didn't know you were so athletic, Lucy." Erza remarked in surprise. "You were quite fast!"

Lucy smiled. "Thanks Erza. I haven't run like that in weeks!"

"Don't tell me you were on the track time like doofus over there." Gray said dryly, glancing over to where Natsu was deep in discussion with the coach of the track team.

"Actually I was on the cheerleading team -"

"That was almost too fast for a cheerleader, Lu-chan." Levy said between pants, hands on her knees.

"Actually, Spirit Academy's cheerleading squad is the best in Fiore." Erza interjected. "They've been winning the Nationals for the past two years. I remember something about a secret weapon." Her eyes widened. "'The blonde angel'. It was you!"

Levy's eyes darted from Erza to Lucy who was blushing. "The blonde angel?"

"She was the fastest cheerleader on the squad. Like an angel." A green haired girl joined them, slightly out of breath. "Hey, I'm Bisca. We could really use someone like you on the squad, if you're interested." She jogged off to where her own friends were standing.

"Uh..." Lucy was lost for words. "Who was that?"

"Bisca's a cheerleader. And she's on the volleyball team." Erza explained. "And it's true, Lucy you really should-"

Coach Sagittarius cut her off. "Alright kids we're playing basketball today. Team captains, Fulbuster and McGarden." He gestured to Gray and Levy. "Pick your teams. Quick."

Levy looked like someone had asked her to jump of the school building. "Hey, Levy. It's gonna be okay." Lucy said, trying to sound reassuring.

Levy scowled. "I'm five foot four. Barely. I can't even reach the basketball hoop, Lu-chan."

"Oh come on, Levy." Gray said. "I'm going first. I pick Erza." Collective groans rang out.

"I pick Natsu."

"Alzack."

"Lucy, can you play basketball?" Levy whispered to her. Lucy shook her head.

"Hell no." She protested.

"I pick Lu-chan. "

Lucy groaned.

-/-

Lucy bit her lip. The teams were tied. While Gray's team had Erza, he also had people like Max and Warren who always ' _accidentally_ ' passed the ball to Lucy and Bisca when they sent seductive winks or smiles in their direction. All they had to do was pass it to Natsu who seemed to be on fire with his rapid three pointers.

"Two minutes!" Coach yelled from the sidelines. Lucy knew they had to win. She had to defend Levy's honour for being so short. There was a sudden blur of red as Erza intercepted the ball from Levy who was passing it to Natsu. Dribbling it up to the centre of the court, time passed slower than usual as Erza lifted the ball, aiming for the basket and _she missed._

Natsu stole the ball and in a flash of lightening, shot it through the hoop. A piercing whistle cut through the air.

"Times up!" Coach yelled. "It's thirty two to thirty four. McGraden's team wins."

Lucy and Levy cheered, hugging as more of them celebrated. Gray and the others headed to the showers, a depressed aura leaking out of them.

"We did it, Lucy! We beat Erza! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Levy said wrapping her arms around her again.

"You shouldn't be thanking me, Levy. It's Natsu who made the winning shot." As an after thought she added. "And most of the shots..."

"No thanks necessary ladies." Natsu said jogging up to them. "Just doing my duty."

"At least you didn't make the court explode." Lucy muttered.

"At least I beat Fulbuster, Luigi." Natsu smirked as she glared at him.

"Watch it Dragneel." She replied. "You're still on probation."

"Pro- wha? What the hell is that?"

"It's the release of an offender from detention, subject to a period of good behaviour under supervision." Levy explained as she walked behind the bickering pair on the way to the locker rooms.

"In English, please."

"Basically, Lucy's still wary of you and is trying to decide whether she should be friends with you or just stay away." Levy replied, glancing at Lucy who was laughing with Erza at something Gray said.

"Wary? As in afraid?"

"More like not sure..." Levy drifted off. "Basically, in Spirit Academy, there was no such thing as 'friends'. You had allies. The more richer and influential, the better. Lu-chan has become cautious of her friends. Not to mention you must seem intimidating to her. Since she comes from an all-girl school. But don't worry. I have a feeling she'll trust you."

Natsu shook his head. "She's not intimidated by me. And she doesn't really strike me as the nervous type either." He mused.

Levy shoved him playfully. "Are you done being all philosophical about my best friend?"

"Woah, Levy you've known her for two days."

"I trust Lu-chan. And she trusts me."

-/-

"I can't believe you were a cheerleader." Natsu said, cocking his head to one side. "It seems pretty obvious though."

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, you're always jumping around and stuff." Natsu shook his head. "It's difficult to explain. Kinda like a vibe... "

"Wow, Flame Ass learning new words, never thought I'd live to see the day." Gray remarked.

"Shut up Ice Princess."

"So are you going to try out, Lucy?" Levy asked her, trying to change the subject.

"Uh, I don't know -"

"One of the girls fell down and broke her leg during practice yesterday. There is actually an opening in the squad. I can talk to Mirajane if you want, Lucy." Erza offered.

"But what if I'm not good enough. Or-"

"Then you'll try again next year. You won't give up, right, Luce?" Natsu asked.

Lucy glanced at him. He looked like he believed she could do it. Almost as if his determination was contagious, Lucy replied. "Damn right I won't."

"That's the spirit Lucy." Erza said smiling at her. "I'll take you to Mirajane after school. "

-/-

Mirajane looked like she belonged on the cover of some fashion magazine. Her silver hair fell past her shoulders, tumbling down to her waist. Her fringe had been tied up in a small ponytail to keep her hair away from her face. She had bright blue eyes that twinkled as she caught sight of Lucy. Mirajane was her height, except slightly more curvy and well, _mature_. Dressed simply in a tank top and yoga pants, she seemed to radiate beauty and power.

"You must be Lucy!" She said smiling. "Bisca told me about you. How are you liking Fairy Academy so far?"

"It's been fun." Lucy replied honestly. "I've met a lot of nice people. "

"Good. So I hear you want to join the squad." She asked all amusement gone from her face.

Lucy nodded. "My mom used to be a cheerleader. And I want to continue that legacy."

"Great!" Mirajane said, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Now why don't you get changed and we'll see just how good you are. Bisca? Can you show Lucy to the change rooms?"

The green haired girl ushered her into a small room on one side of the gym. She paused by one of the lockers, pulling out a pair of tights and a sleeveless top.

"You can borrow my clothes, Lucy." She said with a smile. "And don't worry. You'll make the team." After a moment of hesitance she added: "No offence but don't think anyone is going to go easy on you just cause you're new. You're no longer a student from Spirit." She smiled. "You're one of us now."

Lucy felt surprised to hear that. _You're one of us_ now. It felt, good. Like she had a place to go. A place where she belonged. She didn't belong at Spirit Academy. She didn't belong at the Heartfilia Mansion either. No, she belonged here. At Fairy Academy. With all of her friends, who accepted her for who she was. She smiled back. "Thanks Bisca. That means a lot to me."

-/-

"Lucy, this is Evergreen. She's a senior just like me. I ant you to copy her movements." Mirajane explained. Lucy only nodded. Evergreen had long curly brown hair and brown eyes. Her glasses and guarded expression only made her look even more intimidating. Lucy wished Bisca hadn't left so early. Now she was alone with Mirajane and Evergreen.

Lucy positioned herself in front of the older girl. After a series of stretches, Evergreen started with a simple somersault, followed by a three cartwheels, landing neatly on her feet.

Lucy braced herself before following. She held her breath, glancing at Mirajane for approval. But Mira was steadily watching her, her expression blank.

Evergreen only smirked, before doing a 'cheerleading jump'. This jump is commonly used in cheer leading. You have your arms up in a "V" above your head and then rotate one of your arms backwards, and right after, kick one of your legs up and point it straight in the direction of your face.

Lucy hesitated, before copying Evergreen, making sure to keep her movements graceful and light.

Evergreen looked slightly shocked, before launching into another routine, ending with a handstand. Lucy followed seconds later, imagining she was in the gym back at Spirit and ended with a backflip instead out of habit.

Evergreen looked triumphant. "You were supposed to end with a handstand. Did you forget?"

"I - uh." Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. Lucy was supposed to follow. Mira would think she was cocky, and was trying to insult the squad. "I didn't mean to - I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. I'll do it again -"

"There's no need." Mirajane said, her face impassive. "I want you to get changed, leave the gym and go home." Lucy winced. _Here it comes. Everyone will be so disappointed in me. Especially Erza. And Natsu -_

"And meet me here at seven thirty sharp tomorrow so I can introduce you to the rest of the squad."

"Huh?" Lucy's widened. _Did Mira say what I think she said. No, no, no. Lucy control yourself._ She squeaked. "I'm in?"

Mirajane laughed at the younger girl. "Of course you are. It's getting late. You really should get going. I want you fresh after school tomorrow at practice, got it?" Even Evergreen managed a smile.

Lucy managed to keep it together until she reached the locker rooms, showered and changed into her own uniform. She placed Bisca's clothes back in her locker and walked back to the gym. Both Evergreen and Mira were long gone.

"I can't believe it!" She said to herself. "I'm a cheerleader again. At Fairy Academy. Mom," She whispered. "If you're up there, I hope your proud of me."

After blinking away tears, the blonde laughed and spent the next five minutes dancing around the gym, chanting "I got in, I got in, I got in the squad."

-/-

Clutching her school bag tighter, Lucy walked out of school, lost in thought about a new story she planned to write about the cheerleader and the jock. _It's so cliché, though._ She thought. _Maybe she could fall for the nerd. No that's too obvious. Ugh think, Lucy, think -_

"Oof!" Lucy stumbled, following down on her butt. The same couldn't be said for the person she bumped into.

"Is it just me or are you getting even more clumsy lately, Luigi? I mean, for a wannabe cheerleader -"

"I am not a wannabe cheerleader, Natsu. " Lucy snapped, getting back on her feet.

"Wait does that mean you got in?" Natsu looked down at her, genuinely curious.

"Uh, yeah. I did." She replied, slightly nervous at the lack of space between them.

"So what did you think of her?" Natsu asked, placing his hands behind his head as he fell into step beside her as they walked to the intersection.

 _Why are we walking together?_ Lucy thought. _We're barely friends. No that's not true_. She had known him for two days, but Lucy has never met a person so open to others about himself. She realised her had asked her something. "Who?"

"Mirajane." Natsu rolled his eyes. "That's weird."

"She's amazing. She looks like a model or an actress. And she's really sweet too." Lucy replied. "What's weird?"

"Well, Mira did do modelling last summer. And nice? You should've seen her in middle school." He scoffed. "I never roll my eyes. I must have caught your habit, Luce."

"What do you mean? And habits aren't contagious. _You can't catch them, stupid_."

"She was called the she-devil. That's all I have to say."

"Sh-she devil?"

Natsu smirked. "She was Erza's rival. Consider yourself lucky you've never faced them both."

Lucy shuddered. "I'm scared." As they passed the convenience store, she realised they were walking in the direction of her apartment. "Not to be rude, but are you walking me home?"

"Huh?" Natsu looked confused. "I thought you were walking me home."

"Why would I -" Lucy resisted the urge to slap her forehead. "Where _do_ you live?"

"That's private. What if you were a stalker?"

"I'm your classmate. _I_ _am_ _not_ _a_ _stalker_ , _Natsu_ _Dragneel!"_

"Well that's reassuring."

"Urgh!" She noticed the had reached her street. "You live on Strawberry Street too?"

"Yeah, I share an apartment with Stripper."

"B - But there's only one apartment complex on this street." She asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowed.

"So?" Natsu asked. "You done following me?"

"What the hell, why would I follow - Ah!" Lucy raised her arms in exasperation, failing to notice the steps that led into the building. Now sprawled on the floor for the second time in an hour, Lucy scowled.

"Need some help?" Natsu asked, holding out his hand. Lucy took it, surprised by the gesture.

"Uh, thanks." She said as they walked inside the building.

Natsu called the lift before remarking. "Way to be graceful."

Lucy flushed as they entered the entered the lift, sticking out her tongue at him. She pressed the "3" button, surprised to find the "4" button had already been pushed.

"Wow you really weren't joking about living in the same building, were you?" She commented.

"Why would I lie about living with Stripper?"

Lucy leaned against the metallic walls waiting for the lift doors to close, closing her eyes shut. "Forget it!"

"Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

"You're pretty good in English right? And, the essay thingy we got for homework...?" He trailed off.

"What about it?"

"I need help!" Natsu blurted out, embarrassed. "I suck at English and -"

"Okay, come over to my place later. But you have to help me with chem." Lucy said with a grimace as she thought about the dreaded multiple choice questions she had gotten for homework. The doors opened with a ' _ping_ '. "There's my queue. Apartment 307. Don't forget!" She called out as she skipped past the punk haired boy, into the silent hallway. As she turned a corner she saw Natsu's eyes widen just as the lift doors clanged shut.

Lucy reached her apartment, slotting in her key, before quickly slipping inside. She threw her bag on the couch like everyday, cheerfully humming _'Call Me Maybe'._ She had heard it on TV yesterday and it was stuck in her head, being one of those annoyingly catchy songs that she hated.

"I need a bath. A long one." She muttered to herself. "Cheerleading is hard work..."

Sometime later she walked into her bed room, clad in a fluffy white towel, her damp hair in a bun. Lucy opened her closet, finger under her chin, in deep thought as her eyes roamed past the mounds of clothes. She pulled out a pair of denim short shorts and a pale pink strapless top with hot pink stripes. She combed out her hair, which currently fell past her shoulders and reached her breasts.

"Do I need a haircut again?" She murmured to herself, studying her reflection in the mirror. "Maybe I should give Cancer a call." She mused, smiling fondly at the thought of her eccentric hairstylist.

Dumping her uniform in the wicker basket beside her dresser, Lucy walked out of her room, intent on getting a head start with her English homework. "Plus I need to watch Yamada-Kun today too." She muttered. "And I need to email -" She paused her train of thought, gaping at her leather couch. Or more importantly at the person lounging on her couch, flipping through the TV channels. _A particular, pink haired person_ who has supposed to come over _later._

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked him, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Gray was annoying me." He announced. "And you said you were gonna help me, remember?"

Lucy glared at him, placing her hands on her hips _. "Natsu Dragneel, did you break into my apartment?"_ She seethed.

"The balcony was unlocked." Natsu replied, placing his arm over his eyes, making himself more comfortable on her couch.

"You climbed up to the third floor, slid open the door to my apartment and just walked in?" She asked, her voice getting higher with ever word.

Natsu propped himself up to a sitting position, cris-crossing his legs on her sofa. "Nope!" He said proudly. "I jumped from my living room window, opened the door and walked in."

"Wait that would mean." Lucy's eyes widened. She glanced above. "Your apartment is above mine?" She shrieked.

"Yup. Apartment 407. So you wanna get started -"

"Why didn't you just knock on my front door like a normal person?" She asked, glaring at the pink haired boy who seemed oblivious.

"Cause then I'd have to _walk_ to lift, and _wait_ for it and then _walk_ to your place and _knock_ and _wait_ and -"

"Yeah, yeah I get it." Lucy said cutting him off. She placed her thumb and her index fingers against her temples, massaging them. "You're _lazy_. Do it again and I'll set my bodyguards on you."

"You have bodyguards?" Natsu asked curiously.

"Yes and they're supposed to be _guarding_ me. Except they must b doing a really bad job." Lucy sighed.

"There was only one guy in a black suit when I was jumping down. He was staring at your window like some pervert, so I knocked him out."

Wordlessly Lucy ran to her balcony. Glancing down she saw one of her bodyguards, Taurus, unconscious on the ground. Lying near his head was a school bag.

"You used your backpack to knock out my body guard." Lucy stated, trying to control her anger.

"Nope." Natsu said as he shot up and pulled out a black bag from under the table. "This is my bag. _That_ was Ice Princess's."

"You're unbelievable." She muttered as she walked off to her fridge. Pulling out her favourite grape juice, she poured it out before setting it on her dining table. It wasn't actually a _dining_ table, since it was round and it seated three. Lucy pulled out her textbooks with a sigh before asking, "Are you gonna help me or not?"

Natsu who was preoccupied with some football game, jerked back to reality. He silently followed the blonde, placing his things besides her. "Chemistry first?" He asked, pulling out his notes. Lucy only nodded.

"Okay, question one. What happens when you mix sodium chloride with fluorine?"

"The answers 'C'." Natsu replied, engrossed in the world of chemistry.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup."

Chemistry homework had never been easier.


	3. Chapter 3 - Betting On My Love Life

Chapter 3 - Betting On My Love Life

Lucy stifled another yawn as she pulled on her skirt. Her socks came next. Sliding on the yellow vest, she walked to her dressing table. Tying her hair in her signature side ponytail, Lucy managed a tired smile. Natsu had left really late last night, around twelve. _He wasn't lying when he said he sucked in English..._ She thought wryly. She glanced at the clock as she grabbed her school bag. Seven ten.

"I'm gonna be late." She said to herself. "And Mira will get mad at me and - Crap, she might throw me out of the squad!"

Lucy yanked open her refrigerator. "Ugh!" She groaned in frustration, slamming it shut. "Nothing!" She opened one cabinet after the next. She was successful on her fourth try as she grabbed a bar of Snickers. "Plan B." She muttered. "Thank god I made my lunch yesterday."

Quickly she pulled on her shoes, locked the front door and all but dashed to Fairy Academy. The large clock in the gym struck seven thirty as Lucy skidded in. "Sorry I'm late. I overslept." She panted.

"Never mind, Lucy." Mirajane said, her eyes twinkling. "You've already met Ever and Bisca. This is Michelle. She's a sophomore." She said, gesturing to a pretty girl with wavy blonde hair. "This is Lisa. She's the youngest." Lisa had shiny black hair, cut into a bob and purple eyes. She smiled at Lucy.

"Michelle, Lisa. This is Lucy Heartfilia. She's our newest member." Mirajane introduced her. She then carefully picked up a shimmery grey bag and handed it to Lucy. "Here's your uniform. Why don't you go try it on?" Mira said as she ushered the blonde girl to the locker rooms.

"Uh okay." Lucy said as the doors shut. She zipped open the bag, pulling out a royal blue top. It was sleeveless and left her stomach exposed. The neckline was beneath her collarbones, preventing any cleavage. It had white lining and fit her perfectly. Below her collar on the left side,was the golden fairy mascot. The pleated skirt was royal blue with white lining. There were also two wristbands, red with a single yellow stripe. She wore knee length white socks with a single dark blue stripe and white tennis shoes.

As she crept towards the doors, Lucy felt oddly shy. _What if she looked weird?_ Suddenly the door opened and Evergreen emerged. "Oh good, you're done. Come on they're waiting."

Lucy bit her lip as she walked out. Immediately the girls surrounded her.

"You look great, Lucy!" Lisa commented.

"Blue really suits you!" Bisca remarked cheerfully.

"You're one of us now!" Michelle said.

"It's a perfect fit!" Mira said excitedly.

"Thank you." Lucy said, smiling gratefully. "I think I'll change now. Class starts soon."

"Wait!" Mira cried raising her arms. There was a sudden flash, as she smiled triumphantly. "Aw you look so cute!" She held out her phone to Lucy, showing her the picture. Lucy looked slightly shocked, but what surprised her was how similar she looked to an old picture of her mother, who was all decked out as a cheerleader too.

"Thank you Mirajane." She said, and she really was grateful to the older girl for accepting her, making her feel at home, making her feel like they had known each other _forever_. Mira only smiled, a mysterious, know-it-all smile, signifying that she understood.

-/-

 _Where the hell is Levy?_ Lucy's eyes darted across the halls. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell her friends that she had gotten in the cheerleading squad. She wanted Levy to be the first to know. She looked around for the blunette until she caught sight of Gray.

"Hey, Lucy." Hey greeted the blonde. "I heard you got in. Congrats!"

Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Gray. Do you know where Levy is?"

Gray shook his head, but the girl standing beside him spoke. "Jet and Droy dragged her off." _Oh, that explained it_. Lucy hadn't gotten a chance to meet Levy's best friends yet but she had heard that they were crazy about her. She turned her attention back to the girl. She was tanned, with messy brown locks. A large pair of sunglasses covered half of her face.

Gray noticed her confused look. "Cana, this is the new student, Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy this is -"

Cana cut him of, running up to Lucy. "I like you. You have big boobs!" She announced as she tried to pull back Lucy's shirt. Lucy blushed.

"I -uh." She sputtered. Gray caught ahold of Cana, obviously embarrassed. "This is Cana Alberona." He said. "Fairy Academy's resident drunk."

Cana whipped off her sunglasses, sending a seductive wink in Lucy's direction. "But you can call me Beer Queen." She purred.

Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of Cana's bloodshot eyes. "Are - are you hungover?" She asked hesitantly.

Gray sighed. "Cana's either drunk or hungover. Or drunk _and_ hungover." He said as she pulled out a silver flask from her bag and took a sip.

"Cana are you drinking in school?" A sharp voice cut through. In a whirlwind, Erza grabbed the silver flask. "I'll be taking this."

"Ugh!" Cana said with a groan. "That's the fourth one this month. Really Erza?"

Erza ignored her protests, instead she fumbled in her pockets pulling out the standard school tie. "You know you need to follow the dress code." She chided.

Lucy glanced at the drunken girl again. She was pretty much in uniform, except she had shedded the yellow vest and her shirt was partially unbuttoned, revealing a bright blue sports bra. Oddly enough, wrapped tightly around her neck was a thin black scarf.

"There!" Cana announced as she fixed her tie and buttoned her shirt. "Done."

Erza gave her a once over. "Lose the scarf."

Cana looked pained, but obliged, handing it to Erza. Covering her neck were bruises. Except, when Lucy looked closer she realised they weren't bruises. They were _hickeys_. Her eyes widened.

Even Gray was blushing while Erza was sputtering. She silently handed the scarf back to Cana, who was gloating.

"I-I should get going." Erza all but ran away.

Cana smirked. "Winding up that girl is too easy." She muttered. She pulled out a bottle of water from her bag, holding her scarf against it. Squeezing out the excess water, she used it to rub her neck. The purple and black marks came off easily, leaving behind clean, unblemished skin.

"How did you do that?" Lucy couldn't help but ask.

"Ah the wonders of makeup!" Cana announced. "I work part time at a beauty salon. My job is making ugly people's look beautiful."

"Wow!" Lucy really was impressed. But Gray looked annoyed.

"What about your job at cafe?" He asked. "And the supermarket. And -"

Cana cut him off. "I'm still working at the cafe. But I got fired from the supermarket and the public library." She reported sadly. She glanced at Lucy. "I swear, show up tipsy one time and they'll never let you forget."

Lucy held back a laugh. "I feel you." She blurted out. She could feel Gray's eyes on her. _Crap, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud!_

"Lucy!" At the end of the hallway was Natsu, dodging the masses of students as he raced towards Lucy.

 _Thank you, Natsu, for saving me from an extremely awkward moment which would lead to an even more awkward confrontation. She thought._

"I forgot my notebook at your place yesterday!" Natsu said desperately. "Now I'm gonna fail in English."

Lucy sighed, silently pulling out his notebook, and handing it to him. "I didn't spend six hours with you working on an essay only to have you forget it at my place." She hissed.

"You didn't spend six hours on this, Lucy." Natsu replied, waving his notebook in the air. "It took you two hours to understand what a displacement reaction is. And then you burned my dinner -"

"I did not burn your dinner!" The blonde snapped. "You're the one who insisted I didn't know how to cook!"

"That's cause I wanted to order pizza!"

"Well you got what you wanted, but my kitchen still smells like smoke!"

"But that wasn't -"

"Gray, you never told me these two were an item!" Cana's voice rang out. "I gotta say girl, you work fast!" She said to Lucy.

Natsu and Lucy had stopped bickering and we're now gaping at Cana, speechless.

"You know, you two do look cute together!" Cana continued. "NaLu. I ship it! What about you, Gray?"

"Hmm, you're right. Though Lucy could do way better than Flame Brain -"

"Guys, there is _nothing_ going _on_ between me and Natsu!" Lucy protested.

"Yeah. Me and Luigi are just friends - Ow!" Natsu protested as Lucy stepped on his toe.

" _It's Lucy_." She hissed, a demonic aura surrounding.

"Y-yes ma'am."

"It always starts of as 'just friends'." Another voice joined them. "I definitely ship it!"

"M-Mira?" Lucy asked, shocked that the older girl had now joined their conversation.

"So do I!" Cana said, leaning over to high five the girl. "I bet they'll be together in a month."

"Nah!" Gray said. "Flame Brain's dense. It'll take two months."

"I'd say two weeks!" Mira chimed in. "And Lucy will make the first move."

Lucy covered her face with her hands. "Will you guys please stop betting on my love life? Please?" She turned to Natsu for support, only to find him holding Gray in a headlock. He broke free, aiming a punch directly at Natsu's face which he blocked. Gray responded with a kick and soon the two were just a blur of fists and fury.

Lucy shook her head in exasperation, turning back to Cana who was jotting down numbers in her notebook. "Are you actually making a betting pool?" She cried.

"Yup!" Cana replied cheerfully. "There's also one for Alzack and Bisca, Jet and Levy, Mira and Laxus -" She turned to Mirajane. "No offence."

Mira's eyes twinkled. "None taken."

"Levy and Droy," She continued. "Gray and Erza-"

Gray sputtered, pausing his fight with Natsu. "What?! You ship me with Erza? The devil?" He asked. "Are you crazy?"

"I think GrayZa has a certain ring to it." Cana replied innocently.

Before Gray could reply, the bell rang. Lucy hurried to class, eager to meet Levy.

Her feet pounded against the floor as she raced past the students. "Levy-chan!" She called out excitedly. "I was looking all over for you."

"Jet and Droy dragged me off." Levy grumbled as she moved closer to Lucy. "They wanted to make sure I was okay while they were away."

"You sound irritated." Lucy observed with a smile.

"Jet was sick for _two days_. Droy was away for a family reunion for _three_ _days_. That's it!" Levy ranted. "Yet they were all over me, apologising-"

"Levy I'm sure they mean well." Lucy interjected.

"I know that Lu-chan. But still. They're so _protective_ sometimes. It's annoying -"

"Levy, they're two guys who are madly in love with you. _Of_ _course_ they care about you!" Lucy tried to explain but Levy ignored her and pulled out a fat paperback.

"Sorry, Lu-chan. I know you're right." She apologised. "Don't worry I'll be fine in a while." And with that, Levy opened her book and disappeared into another world.

Lucy eyed her friend with amusement as she made her way to her seat. _Nutters_ , she thought. _I'm in a school full of nutters._

-/-

It was halfway during lunch period when Lucy realised she had left Erza's notebook in her locker. She had borrowed it to copy down some missed work and Erza needed it for next period.

She quickly excused herself and jogged up to her locker. She found the notebook buried under her physics text book. Lucy scowled. She didn't care much for physics either. She carefully closed her locker, only to catch sight of a girl with curly brown hair.

"Hey, Evergreen." She greeted the older girl.

Ever nodded back. "Don't forget we have practice after school. But it's going to be in the field outside."

"But why?"

"The basketball team holds practice the same day in the gym, so we go out whilst the weather's nice." The older girl explained.

Suddenly one of the boys standing behind Evergreen cleared his throat. "Care to introduce us, Ever?" He was tall, easily six feet with inky blue hair, tanned skin and surprising green eyes. He wore the regular school uniform, except his shirt was untucked and his tie was loose.

"It's Evergreen." She corrected. "Lucy this is Bickslow. And that's Freed. He's the student council president ." Clad in a red blazer, Freed had long green hair and a very serious expression. He also appeared to be glaring at Lucy.

Lucy smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Would you catch me if I fell for you?" Bickslow asked sending a wink in her direction. Before Lucy could reply, Evergreen punched him on his arm.

"No flirting with the cheerleaders." She reminded him. She glanced back at Lucy who was staring at Freed. Evergreen watched curiously as the other girl sighed before bursting out.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I forgot. I'm sorry." Lucy apologised.

Freed continued to glare at her. "Two hours." He hissed. "She blabbed on for two hours with worst case scenarios as to why you weren't replying to her. Two hours."

"I'm sorry!" Lucy whined. Catching Evergreen and Bickslow's bewildered looks, she couldn't help but laugh.

"My friend Hisui from Spirit Academy is Freed's cousin. I forgot to reply to her last night -"

"I got a ninety percent on my history pop quiz because of you!" Freed accused.

Lucy goggled at him. "N-ninety percent? You should be thanking me..."

"Freed gets a hundred percent on every history pop quiz. It's his favourite subject. " Evergreen explained. "I had no idea you two knew each other."

"I've also had the unfortunate honour of dancing with him." Lucy grumbled.

"Wait a minute. You're friends with Hisui? Hot Hisui?" Bickslow asked.

Lucy nodded. "Be careful. She has a boyfriend." She said patting his arm.

"She's dating someone?" Freed exploded.

Lucy giggled. "I'm not naming anyone. Tell her I said sorry. I'm gonna be late. See you later Ever!" She said as she dashed away from them. _Crap! I forgot about Hisui..._

Hisui and Yukino were, unfortunately, the only normal girls in Spirit Academy. Had it not been for them, Lucy would've gone insane.

Hisui had the same light green hair as her cousin, but her eyes were also the same colour. The color of jade. Ironically, the meaning of Hisui was jade. What not many people knew was that Hisui E. Fiore was the daughter of the King of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore.

However if you met the girl, you would never have guessed someone so bubbly, down to earth and _normal_ could be the heir to the throne. Compared to that, Yukino Agria was polite and while she lacked self confidence was almost too strong willed under pressure. Her hair was a shade of blue so light it looked silver from afar, and it was cut extremely short. Well, it was extremely short the last time Lucy hard seen her, which was in May. It was now September, and although she had been in constant contact with Hisui up until she moved to Magnolia, the fact she hadn't heard from Yukino in over a month worried her.

 _I really should check my email more often._ She reminded herself. Even though she got a notification for every email, Lucy had a habit of clearing her notification bar and reading them in peace later.

 _Except I haven't gotten a single moment of peace since I moved here. And I've got practice today too. Tomorrow_. She though firmly. _I'll_ _get_ _back_ _to_ _Hisui_ _tomorrow_.

-/-

The rest of the day passed easily. Then came cheer practice. Lucy hurriedly changed into uniform along with the rest of the squad. Mira and Evergreen had gotten a free period in the end so they had already changed and had left for the field. Lucy was excited. This was her first cheer practice in a _long_ while. Normally the cheerleaders practiced every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But since the freshmen and sophomores went on a field trip yesterday, practice was called off. Mira was just running some routines with Evergreen, when Erza approached her with Lucy.

Lucy and Bisca made their way toward the field. "The track team usually practices here too, but the coach doesn't like us practicing in the field." Bisca was saying. "He says we distract the boys."

Lucy burst out laughing. Some of track team boys were already there. One of them was already shirtless. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bisca not so discreetly eyeing him. "Or maybe they're distracting us." She replied with a smirk.

Bisca blushed. "What?" She protested. "He was cute!" Giggling the two girls dashed to the centre of the stadium. At the centre was massive patch of grass and on its boundary was the track which was currently occupied.

"Okay, everyone. Listen up!" Mira said loudly. The chattering ceased as they surrounded the team captain. "As most of you know, the Fairy/Courage Academy Sports Festival is coming up. For all those who don't know what that is, I'll give you a brief introduction." Mira's eyes turned steely. "Courage Academy is our number one rival. Be it sports, academics or even extra curricular activities, they're always neck to neck with us. The Sports Festival takes place every year, allowing our sports teams to compete with theirs. While we won't be competing against their cheerleading team, we are expecting to perform in the opening ceremony, on the sidelines _and_ just before the winning school is given the trophy."

Lucy's eyes widened at that. While her experience as a cheerleader at Spirit meant that she didn't need to over exert herself, learning at least two new routines in just one week seemed impossible even for her.

"While we have been practicing this routine for quite a while," Mira continued. "You, Lucy, will need to work extremely hard with all of us. Now I'll give a run through of the routine again since Ever and I have changed it up a bit."

-/-

Natsu jogged onto the track, waiting for their coach to enter the field. "Hey man!" Jet greeted him. "You ready for the Festival next week?"

"As ready as you are, team captain!" Natsu replied. "Those bastards at Courage won't know what hit them!" It was true that their was no love lost between Fairy Academy and their rival.

"We've been competing against them for what? Forty years now?" Jet asked, lazily jogging around the field with Natsu."

"Yup! We're tied. Twenty to twenty." Natsu replied.

"We have to win this year!" Jet agreed.

"Hell yeah." Natsu said. "I'm all fired up!" And with that he broke into a run.

Jet paused for a second, marvelling the pink haired boy's speed. While Natsu was faster, he on the other hand had more stamina. He was also more level-headed than Natsu. Jet smiled fondly. The only reason he had been made team captain instead was because Natsu was little too high strung and childish at times. And there was a fact that Natsu lacked leadership qualities. Except, Jet realised as the pink haired boy walked up to his team mates, slapping then on the back and giving out words of encouragement, he didn't. Natsu was a born leader. _He just doesn't know it yet._

-/-

Levy sat in the stands, watching the track team practice. She had felt bad about snubbing Jet and Droy just because they were _way too protective. I mean come on I'm sixteen years old, I don't need a babysitter._ She thought _. Much less two._

Okay, so maybe she didn't feel bad, but it was her duty as Jet's best friend to make it up to him.

And sure, waiting for track practice to end until she could walk home with Jet wasn't her favourite thing in the whole world, but she had ' _A City Of Lost Souls_ ' to keep her company. She glanced up to where Natsu and the others were running laps on the track. Meanwhile, Jet was in deep discussion with the coach. As the boys geared in for the next lap, Jet shrugged of his red and yellow varsity jacket and joined the boys.

Levy's eyes followed the ginger. He moved swiftly, barely more than a blur, like an eagle. Levy watched as the rest of the pack, inspired, put on an extra burst of speed. Natsu seemed all the more enthusiastic as he raced ahead, crossing the finishing line the same time Jet did.

The blunette looked further ahead, to where the cheerleading team was practising a complicated routine. _How does Lu-chan do it?_ She thought as the blonde jumped off Bisca's shoulders, performing a somersault in mid air. She landed perfectly on her feet, shaking her pom-poms enthusiastically as she flashed a bright smile.

Lucy had totally made herself at home in Fairy Academy, and while Levy couldn't possibly hold any ill will towards her friend, she couldn't help but feel jealous of how easily Lucy had adjusted in Fairy Academy. As Lucy jumped high in the air, Levy's attention was brought to her friend's - _ahem - chest_. Glancing down at her own, well, _flat chested-ness_ , Levy couldn't help but compare herself to her more _voluptuous_ friend. _Ugh_ , she thought, _what the hell is wrong with you, Levy? Lucy isn't some flawless Mary-Sue character that your imagination cooked up. She's a living, breathing human being and she's not perfect._ She scolded herself. _Now stop feeling jealous about -_

A sharp ' _ting_ ' cut through her thoughts as her phone beeped. She glanced at the message she had received and gasped. She hit the back button, searching for Jet's name. Licking on it, she typed out a message as quickly as she could with shaky fingers.

 _Something came up. Can't walk home with you. Sorry, see you tomorrow._

She tapped 'Send', gathered her books, phone clutched in her hand, and quickly ran off before anyone could see the tears threatening to fall.

-/-

"Okay, guys!" Mira said, clapping her hands to get her attention. "Let's practice the 'pyramid' now."

All of the girls quickly gathered into formation. Michelle, Lisa and Bisca stood at the bottom, feet apart. Lucy and Evergreen stood behind them. After counting to three, the two girls placed their hands in front of them. Lucy's left hand was on Michelle's shoulder, her right on Lisa's. Similarly, Evergreen's left hand was balanced on Lisa's shoulder, her right on Bisca's. Placing all their weight on their hands, the two girls jumped, pointing their left legs backwards as they somersaulted, and landing neatly on the other girls shoulders, their feet placed where their hands were. Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw Mirajane take a running jump, as she did what Lucy and Evergreen had done, standing on their shoulders, completing the pyramid.

Lucy's position gave her an amazing vantage point. She could clearly see Natsu bolting ahead like lightening, his movements surprisingly graceful _. I had no idea he was so fast..._ She thought. _Courage Academy doesn't stand a chance against us!_ She raised her head confidently, her sharp eyes catching a bright blue blur of movement on the bleachers. _Levy had said something about watching Jet practice._ Lucy remembered. _But why would she be running away?_

 _It_ _must_ _have_ _been_ _my_ _imagination_. _I_ _heard_ _lack_ _of_ _sleep_ _does_ _that_ _to_ _you_. She thought warily as she shook her head to rid herself of all the dizzying thoughts.

-/-

Lucy had planned to walk home with Natsu and Gray since they all lived in the building, and - unfortunately- also had after school practice. But Mira had held them back to remind them about before school practice tomorrow. _At seven a.m sharp._ Lucy thought with a groan. _I hate my life. I hate history homework. I hate the biology pop quiz I have tomorrow. I hate Mira. Forget what I said about her being nice and kind. She's a DEMON! The SHE-DEVIL. You know what? I don't hate Mira. I think she might kill me if I said I do..._

Lucy looked around on the sidewalk, half expecting Mira to show up with a chainsaw. She knew she shouldn't have discussed horror movies with Natsu. Their discussion came back to haunt her when she least expected it. Like right now, when she walking home _alone_ , and the sky was grey and the occasional rumbles of thunders were scaring the hell out of her.

"I'm all alone." She muttered. "Anyone could kill me." She squealed as thunder and lightening crackled on the sky and a light drizzle began to drench her. As fast as her feet could carry her, the blonde hurried home.

-/-

"Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy Hearfilia, please report to the principal's office. Lucy Heartfilia. Please report to the principal's office _immediately_!"

Lucy's eyes widened. _W-what do they want with me?_ She quickly got up and walked out of the classroom wanting to get over with it immediately. She reached the office, imagining all sorts of reasons why the principle would want to see her. The secretary ushered her in to where the principal was waiting for her.

Principal Makarov was an extremely short, elderly man. He had a thick white mustache and was growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. His black eyes seemed to be twinkling. He radiated an aura of authority and power and at the same time seemed to speak of loyalty and friendship.

"Y-you called for me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Ah, Ms Heartfilia!" Principal Makarov said. "Please, take a seat." He himself sat down on a dark purple armchair opposite the white sofa where she was supposed to sit. Placed in one corner was a large mahogany desk loaded with large amounts of paperwork. Lucy gingerly sat down on the sofa. "Is every thing okay?"

"Don't worry, Lucy. Everything is quite alright." He said. "Do you mind if I call you Lucy?"

"No. But -"

"You see, Lucy," He cut in. "The reason I called you here is to talk to you about Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, confused. She went to Fairy Academy and had heard of Fairy Hills, where Erza, Levy and Wendy lived. _But Fairy Tail?_

"My grandfather, Yury Dreyar, along with three of his colleagues; Warrod Sequen, Precht Gaebolg and Mavis Vermillion, created the Fairy Tail program. First came the orphanage, Fairy Hills, then Fairy Academy and eventually Fairy University. But the Fairy Tail program was more than that." He continued. "As you will see, child, there are a lot of teenagers in Fairy Academy. But some of them - some of them are more troubled than others. People like Erza, Gray, Natsu and Mirajane. I remember them as withdrawn, broken children, desperate for the one thing I alone could not give them - a family. They were all spirited, though. Extremely spirited. Or they could not have made it to where they are now."

"And each of them has a story. While it is in my best interests to not reveal their pasts to you, I find it increasingly important to know your story, Lucy. I was looking over your records, Lucy. You live alone, without your father who is one of the wealthiest men in Fiore. So tell me, what is _your_ story?"

Lucy bit her lip. She really didn't want to do this. _Come on Lucy!_ She tried to encourage herself. _You can do this._ She willed herself to speak, but no words came out.

Hanging on the wall behind Principle Makarov, were rows upon rows of photos. One particular picture, most probably taken about a year back, caught her eye. It was all of her friends in Fairy Academy. But the three people standing in the centre captured her attention. Despite being dressed in the school uniform, Natsu, Gray and Erza seemed to shine amongst the rest of the students. Erza stood in the centre, her red hair falling down her back. Her brown eyes twinkled. Standing there all proud and regal, she looked like some sort of fairy queen. Gray stood on her left, his arms crossed across his chest. A lock if his raven hair fell against his eye, giving him a sort of mysterious look. His lips were twitched into a half smile, half smirk. Yet even his eyes seemed light and carefree. And Natsu? His pink hair was messed up, as usual. His dark eyes seemed unnaturally intense as he smiled at the camera. It was his smile that struck Lucy the most. It was so honest and trusting. Yet, his eyes promised loyalty and friendship. It motivated her, filled her with a sense of something she didn't really understand at that point, and urged her to speak.

"My dad was really young when my grandfather died." She began suddenly. "Probably in his early twenties. He was an only child, and the weight of the family business fell on his shoulders. He met my mother sometime later, they fell in love and quickly married. Two years later I was born and we were a happy family. But -" Lucy faltered. Principal Makarov looked intrigued.

"It's alright, Lucy. You don't have to continue -"

"But I need to!" Lucy burst out. "I need to tell you!" He only nodded and she continued. "I was seven years old when my mother died. Even then, I greatly resembled her. Everything in our house reminded my father of her. The business was prospering. He stayed out late all night, working for hours. He went away for conferences for weeks. I felt - I felt like I lost my mother _and_ my father. He distanced himself from me completely."

"When I was twelve, I saw a picture of my mother in a cheerleading outfit. I automatically knew that I wanted to be one too. I wanted to follow her footsteps. Be someone she could feel proud off. I practiced day and night. And then, I made it into the cheer squad in Spirit Academy. But, a year ago when I was barely fifteen, the captain of the squad - Sorano - introduced me to her gang. They used to stay out all night, partying, drinking and doing drugs. Before I knew it, I was part of that scene too. I didn't end up addicted to anything, but I did a lot of things no fifteen year old would be proud of."

Tears slowly fell from her eyes, but Lucy continued on determinedly. "A small part of me hoped that I would get caught and my father would finally have a reason to talk to me, _be there for me._ The other part of me was enjoying the thrill of it, doing as I pleased, feeling popular. I convinced my self I was happy." Lucy laughed without humour. "I was far from it. One night _we were_ caught. When my father came to collect me at the police station, his eyes held disappointment. That's its. As if he considered me some kind of annoyance. But it shocked me back to reality. I knew I didn't belong there, but I made a few friends. And then," Lucy reached up to wipe her tears, smiling.

"I ended up in Fairy Academy. I made so many friends and I felt like _I fit in_. I loved it. I loved being a part of a really big family. Where even if I made mistakes, there would always be someone to reach out for my and and steady me on my feet. And I decided, I never wanna leave this place. It's - it's my home!"

Principal Makarov smiled. "What you did today, Lucy, is something not most people have the courage to do. To analyse you own faults, to know where you went wrong, is not easy. I don't know about your mother, but I am certainly very proud of you, Lucy. I welcome you, to Fairy Tail!"

-/-

Lucy exited his office, feeling as if some weight had been lifted of her shoulders. She felt considerably lighter. Glancing at the large clock hanging in the hallway, she guessed it was currently sixth period. Math, she thought with a grimace. _There's only twenty minutes left, so I'll just go back to class then._ She decided against her better judgement. Her feet moved on their own accord and Lucy found herself in the the courtyard where she regularly had lunch with Levy and the others. _Except I had cheer practice today,_ she thought with a sigh.

Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. Lying on the bench was a person. His arms were crossed behind his head, acting as some sort of cushion. His scarf was draped against his eyes, as if he was taking a nap. Lucy quietly crept up to him, before poking him in the ribs. _Hard_.

Natsu's eyes shot open as he yelped. "Oi! Lucy what was that for?"

"You're supposed to be in class." She reminded him as she sat down on the wall opposite him. It had become her favourite place to sit, for some reason...

"Meh, maths it boring." Natsu replied lazily. "What about you? Did Makarov find out you were the one who sneaked itching powder into the ice hockey team's uniforms?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That was you! I was only keeping guard, remember?" She said.

"Ah, I'm such a genius!" Natsu bragged. "So then why did Gramps call you?"

"He told me about Fairy Tail." Lucy said haltingly. Suddenly Makarov's words came back to her. _I remember them as withdrawn, broken children, desperate for the one thing I alone could not give them - a family. They were all spirited, though. Extremely spirited. Or they could not have made it to where they are now. And each of them has a story._ "He welcomed me to Fairy Tail. And he wanted to know my story. So I told him." Lucy said.

Natsu turned his head slightly to look at her, meeting her gaze. He smiled. "We all have a story. But I'm really glad you're part of the family, Luce."

Lucy returned his smile, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. She suddenly realised something. "You know, most of my 'friends' at Spirit would be dying to know my story, to use it against me. But - but not you." She said in a rush. "You're not overly curious. I mean that in good way. I - I like that about you." Lucy said quietly.

Natsu sat up. "I'll tell you my story when I'm ready. And you'll tell me yours when you are. Right?"

Lucy nodded. "Right!" The picture she had seen in the principal's office came back to her. She gasped. "I had no idea you wore an earring!" She said to Natsu accusingly.

Natsu caught her expression and grinned nervously. "I only got the piercing cause Stripper thought I wasn't bold enough. And it kinda grew on me. I lost my favourite dragon earring a week back, but Erza found it in the 'lost and found' today. He pulled out a small golden earring with a dragon's head on it. "I completely forgot about it!" With a flourish he fixed it in his left ear. "Thanks Lucy!" He said, grinning at ear. Lucy was shocked for a moment.

Who could have thought a simple golden earring could change someone's appearance so drastically? Or maybe this was the first time she was actually looking at Natsu Dragneel... Speaking on which -

"In the picture you were wearing fingerless gloves too!" She accused.

"What picture?"

"The one in Principal Makarov's office."

"Oh! I burned those. By accident, of course!" He said, raising his arms in the air. Some silver flashed at Lucy in the sudden movement.

"What's that?" She asked curiously, pointing at his chest.

"What is this twenty questions or something -"

"Natsu!"

"Ugh... It's the fairy tail mark. All of us - me, Erza, Stripper, Jet - we have something like this."

'This' was a thin silver chain, which fell past Natsu's scarf. Hanging on it was a small pendant in the shape of the fairy mascot. At its very centre a small, round red stone gleamed in the sunlight.

And Natsu was right. She had seen them on others. Picture after picture passed by in her mind. _A shirtless Gray, a necklace similar to Natsu's hanging off his neck. Except the stone in the centre was a dark blue, almost black. Erza greeting her, a thin silver choker around her throat, the stone a royal blue. Levy laughing at something, a hair clip with the fairy mascot on it was fixed on her headband. A white stone glittered in her blue hair._

Images flashed faster. _A bracelet with a light blue stone jangling on Wendy's arm. A silver anklet shining on Mira's left leg as she raised it high in the air, the white stone catching in the sunlight. A ring on Bisca's finger, twinkling green. Jet and Droy with their matching necklaces. Freed with a green ring. Bickslow with a black necklace. Evergreen, a green necklace around her throat. A black ring sparkling on Cana's finger._

"That's awesome." Lucy said wistfully. Natsu suddenly stared at her. "What?" She asked, suddenly feeling self conscious.

"We need to take you to Max after school ends, as soon as possible."

Natsu replied determinedly.

"Why?"

"So we can get you your mark stupid! Then you'll really be _one of us!_ "

-/-

Principal Makarov glanced down his window at the sight of two of his students. One of them had just left his office. He smiled. She had a lot of potential.

He watched the two of them bicker. _To be so young, so light-hearted..._ He thought wistfully. _But after all those two have been though, they deserve it. Unfortunately,_ his smile turned grim as he moved away from the window, _they have so much left to go through. High school_ , he grimaced. _It's no walk in the park... Especially not for members of Fairy Tail._

 **6,381 words! I feel proud of myself! Thank you to; SpringShpings74, Lucydaisukinatsu, mysticmuse31, ksw906 and Nalu4Ever2003 for following and/or favouriting Fairy Academy. It means all t to me I'd really appreciate it if you guys review. Here's the latest update giving you a brief intro towards Courage Academy which basically represents Phantom Lord if you' re seen OVA'2. Next Chapter: Lucy gets her mark and Fairy Hills! Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Erza Is Evil

Chapter 4 - Erza is Evil

"Hey, Natsu what brings you here?" Max greeted the pinkette.

Natsu nodded towards the blonde standing besides him. "We need to get Lucy her Fairy Tail mark." He explained. "So show us what ever you got!"

Max smirked. "I'll show you the latest stuff." He pulled out two black cases, opened them and set them on the table facing Natsu and Lucy. "Pick your favourite design and I'll get it in what ever colour you want." He said.

Lucy leaned forward, her eyes sweeping past the mounds of jewellery. She was definitely a 'jewellery' kind of girl, but for some reason her eyes didn't catch anything amazing. "Do you have anything else?" She asked politely.

Max silently placed a third case on the table, going aback to to talk to Natsu about how he 'better put those Courage kids back where they belong'. Lucy had tuned them out, no problem. "Ooh, can I have those earrings?"

"Eh?" Natsu looked at her in confusion. "Max doesn't sell earrings." He told her.

"Actually," Max said, pulling them out, "I found these in the storage with some of my older designs. So I polished it and fixed it up. It must have been the last if some other collection years ago." He explained. "I'm not planning on remodelling it. It's very complicated workmanship. But you can have it if you want."

Lucy grinned. "Great!" She fumbled around for her wallet, only to realise that Natsu had already paid for her. "Nice to see chivalry isn't totally dead." She said, smiling. She turned away from the two to fix her earrings in her ear lobes. She had rushed to school today, and in her haste had forgotten her usual dangly heart earrings. These ones were similar except instead of a heart, the fairy mascot dangled off them. In the centre a pink stone twinkled mysteriously. It was love at first sight. She turned around with a flourish.

"So, what do you think?" She asked Natsu, tilting her head slightly so that the sunlight made her earrings glitter. He stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes unmoving. Then he smiled. It was the same smile she had seen in the photograph in Principal Makarov's office. Full of honesty and loyalty.

"You look great Luigi!" He reassured her.

She scowled. "For the billionth time, Natsu, it's _Lucy_!"

-/-

After a quick shower, Lucy faced a major dilemma. It was raining outside. _Heavily_. And she was in the mood to cook. But at the same time she needed to type a thousand page essay about Magnolia and send it to Hisui. _If I only I could do both, at the same time._ "Wait!" She realised. "I can!"

She reached for her phone and texted Hisui.

 _You free?_

Lucy got a reply back almost instantly.

 _Yes_

 _Uh oh, one word answer_. She winced. _Hisui's really pissed._ She reached for her laptop and went on Skype. Without any hesitation, she went on Hisui's name and clicked on video chat. Lucy placed it on her kitchen counter, in front of her stove.

Hisui accepted the call and the green haired girl soon came into view. "Lucy! I've missed you so, so much - Wait. Are you cooking?"

Lucy smiled as she placed a pot of rice and water on the stove. "Yup! I'm making your favourite curry. Anyways, I met Freed yesterday -"

"Oh that reminds me. I'm not talking to you." Hisui crossed her arms across her chest indignantly. "You moved away and you completely forgot about me, you bitch. Is that any way to treat -"

"I'm sorry Hisui?" Lucy said sheepishly. "It's not like I forgot. I was just so busy and _so_ tired."

"Ooh that reminds me. You have to tell me everything about Fairy Academy, got it?"

"Don't worry, I will." Lucy reassured her. "I remember how nervous I was when I stood there watching everyone. I felt so _out of place_ for some reason" Lucy continued her tale as she started preparing a pot of curry. Her first day, when Natsu spilled water on her, Levy, Wendy, Erza and Gray. Her second day, cheerleading and one very annoying boy with pink hair. Her third day, meeting Cana, Jet and Droy. Cheer Practice. She went on about Principal Makarov, her new earrings. The Fairy/Courage rivalry.

Her laptop was now placed on her round table as she ate her curry and rice. On the other side of Fiore, Hisui was also being served dinner as she eagerly told Lucy about how boring Spirit Academy had become.

"Especially since I'm the only one left." Hisui said sadly.

"What do you mean? Yukino's there. Right?"

"Oh, I'm such a spaz!" Hisui said, angry at herself. "I forgot to tell you! About a month ago, some kids from Sabertooth Academy came over. They were really annoying but one of them took an interest in Yukino." She explained. "She was tanned and she had black hair in a weird hairstyle. And this really heavy accent. Italian or maybe Russian, it was hard to tell. Her name was Minerva."

"I think I remember her. She was cheerleader, wasn't she?" Lucy asked.

Hisui nodded. "She said some stuff to Yukino. When they went away, it felt like they took Yukino away with them. She was so distant and quiet, always hanging out in the library and talking to no one. She stopped coming to school for a while."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "That's not like Yukino at all."

"It got worse." Hisui said sadly. "Two weeks ago, the teachers announced it was Yukino's last day at Spirit. She was transferring to Sabertooth."

Lucy gasped. "Yukino would never - do you think Sorano has something to do with this?"

Hisui shook her head. "I haven't heard about Yukino's sister since she graduated. I think she ran away or something. The worst part was that when I went up to Yukino, she was like 'do I know you?' Ugh, she was all rude and cold. It was so weird. Then she changed her number and deactivated all her accounts, FaceBook, Twitter, everything. There is like, literally, no evidence of Yukino Agria in Spirit. It's like she vanished off the Earth."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Sabertooth Academy is in Magnolia right? I'll look out for her. Don't worry."

Hisui sighed. "I hope she's alright. I'm really worried for her."

"You're not the only one..."

-/-

That night before she went to sleep, Lucy spent an hour writing. She had decided to write teen fiction, with dashes of humour. Her protagonist? A brunette with sparkly blue eyes just like Mira's. Lucy had a habit of basing her characters on her friends or people she aspired she to be. She twirled a strand of her blonde hair, staring at it. "I wonder how I would look with black hair?" She murmured to herself.

Her leading male character was blonde, like her. And his eyes? _Black_. She typed, stifling a huge yawn. _They shone like a pair of black onyxes. They seemed to hold a strange intensity in them and radiated loyalty and promise. If you stood on eye level with him, you could see faint flecks of green and gold, barely noticeable from afar. Those obsidian eyes, tanned skin and pink hair seemed like a strange combination but -_

Lucy closed her eyes and laid her head down beside her laptop, stretching her legs on her pillow. _Just for a minute._ She thought. _A tiny nap won't hurt anyone..._

-/-

The next morning, Lucy Heartfilia awoke to the sound of her phone blaring. She scowled as she shut her alarm, before realising that her feet were on her pillow instated of her head.

 _I must have fallen asleep while I was typing_ , she realised. Quickly she sat up, stretching her arms as she picked up her laptop and placed it in front of her. She pressed the 'enter' key as the laptop came back to life. On her screen was the document she had been typing. Lucy glanced at the time, realised she had plenty of time and started re-reading what she had written.

When she reached the part which she had typed just before she fell asleep, her eyes widened. She placed a hand over her mouth as re-read those lines. " _'Those obsidian eyes, tanned skin and pink hair'_ " She read aloud, blushing in spite of herself. "Seriously, Lucy? The only person I know with pink hair is - Natsu..." She pressed delete.

"Hmm, wait. I like the description. But I could make a few changes. I mean the guy's blonde. I think I'll give him grey eyes. No, hazel!" Embarrassment forgotten, Lucy's fingers flew across her keyboard, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Out of habit she glanced at the clock, and nearly hit the roof. "Crap!" She realised. "I'm gonna be late!"

-/-

After a bout of of extremely torturous cheerleading practice, Lucy trudged to her class, scowling. She sat down on her seat, dropping her head on the table, hoping to get some shut eye. No such luck... "Oi, Lucy!" She raised her head in annoyance, only to meet obsidian eyes half way. _Obsidian, that sounds familiar... Ah! Why am I thinking about Natsu like that!_

"Lucy?" Natsu waved his hand in front her her face, trying to catch her attention. Lucy looked like she as having a mental breakdown. "Luuucy?" He said, dragging out her name. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, wow, Natsu. You finally broke her." Gray snorted, as Lucy's left eye began to twitch. "Good job."

Natsu eyed the boy sitting beside him. "Get lost, Ice Princess! You have -"

He was cut off by Levy who placed a steaming hot cappuccino in front of Lucy. "There you go, Lu-chan." She said gently, patting the blonde on her head. "It's a good thing you texted me. You're desperately in need of a boost."

Lucy didn't reply. She just stared at the coffee for a few seconds, as if speculating if it was real or a figment of her imagination. Then she grabbed it and chugged it down as of it was the last cup of coffee on earth.

Gray chuckled. "She looks like Cana with her beer!"

"Lucy had cheer practice this morning." Levy explained as she glanced at Bisca who was slumped over her desk as Alzack and Laki tried to wake her up. "She's tired out."

"M-Mirajane's a demon." Lucy rasped, breaking away from her coffee "No - she's The Demon. She's Satan himself." With that she went back to chugging the bitter brown liquid.

Natsu's eyes widened. "C-careful she might hear you." He said, shivering in fear. He looked at Levy and Gray. "I'm never joining the cheer squad." He promised. "Never ever, ever -"

"Natsu in a skirt?" Gray drawled, disgusted. "Thanks for the mental image. I can never look at you the same way again -"

Natsu leaned over and punched his left eye. "Shut up!" He said, annoyed. Levy let out a sharp intake of breathe. _That has gotta hurt_ , she thought. Gray lunged for him, just as Erza marched over. She grabbed them both by their collars as she banged their heads together.

"No fighting on school grounds!" She reminded them with a death glare. She glanced at Lucy, who had set down her coffee and was wiping her mouth. The colour had returned to her cheeks and her eyes looked more alert.

"No beverages from outside allowed, Lucy." Erza reminded her, albeit in a much gentler tone.

"Oh, sorry." Lucy apologised. "I was just so tired -"

Erza smiled. "It's nice to see you putting so much effort into the Festival." She said warmly. "Keep it up."

Natsu and Gray were slumped down on the floor. As the dizziness receded, they met each other's eyes in a silent gesture that plainly meant ' _Ezra is so damn sexist_ ', except they didn't dare say it out loud.

-/-

Lucy spent the rest of her day after school relaxing, taking naps and drafting out her novel. Before she went to sleep, she called her dad.

"Hello, Lucy-sama. Is everything alright?"

"Capricorn? Yes, I want to speak with my father." Lucy said. Capricorn was her dad's right-hand man. He had been with the family since before Lucy's birth. A few seconds later, Jude Heartfilia answered the phone.

"Is everything alright, Lucy? I'm meeting some people right now." He said impatiently.

Lucy bit her lip. "Uh, I just wanted to tell you that I'm very much settled in Magnolia. And Fairy Academy -" Lucy hesitated.

"That's good. Taurus and Sagittarius have been updating me." Her dad said distractedly. "As for Fairy Academy, I'm not very fond of that institute. Are you sure you don't want to transfer to Courage or Sabertooth Academy?" He asked her, his tone stern.

Lucy struggled against the urge to roll her eyes, _repeatedly_. "Fairy Academy is amazing, dad. How about you?"

"I'm fine. Now if you're done, I'm quite busy. I expect A grades this year as well, Lucy, no matter how poor the competition is." Jude reminded her, and with that, hung up. Lucy stared at her phone for a few seconds.

"Would it kill you to actually talk to me for once?" She exclaimed. "The fact that you're never around doesn't really help either dad... It's the least you could do!" A single tear slid from her eye, which Lucy quickly wiped off. "I will not cry." She willed herself. "I'm done with crying. _I will not cry. I will not -_ " Her voice cracked. She sighed, as tears slowly trickled down her face.

"It's not fair." She carefully placed her phone on her bedside table, and fell asleep, exhausted.

-/-

Because she fell asleep at eleven last night, Lucy stirred at nine a.m in the morning, feeling well rested and surprisingly cheerful. _It's so weird,_ she thought. _I'm crying at night and the next morning I'm humming cheerfully. Sleep does wonders sometimes_. She opened her door, stepping out into her lounge for breakfast, and her mouth fell open.

Gray Fullbuster was seated on a stool in front of her kitchen counter, dropping ice cube after ice cube into a bowl of milk. Natsu Dragneel was pulling a steaming bowl of milk out of her microwave using her oven mitts. She silently gaped as the two boys added cereal into their milk and started eating.

"Wha- what do you think you're doing?" She asked, regaining her composure.

"We ran out of cereal." Gray explained.

"So you just broke into my apartment again?" She yelled, a demonic aura leaking out of her.

"It was F-Flame Brain's idea!" Gray burst out, his eyes haunted. "We lease don't kill me Erza - I mean Lucy. Please don't kill me!" He repeated.

Natsu on the other hand, looked unaffected. He got up, bowl in hand and moved closer to her. "We didn't break in. The balcony was unlocked." "Plus, we were hungry." He pouted, widening his eyes so he looked innocent. _I was right, there are flecks of green in his eyes -_

"Natsu Dragneel, don't you dare use the puppy dog face on me!" She scolded the pinkette. Natsu silently placed his bowl of cereal on the counter top and grabbed Lucy by the shoulders.

"Get dressed." He stated. "We have places to be at." Lucy flushed slightly at the lack of distance between the two.

"O-okay." She squeaked as she bolted back into her bedroom. When she emerged twenty minutes later, Natsu and Gray were fighting over the TV remote. She sighed and cleared her throat. "Where exactly are you guys taking me?" She asked, hand on her hip. "Because I need to have breakfast -"

"No time for that." Gray cut in. "We're going to the guild."

"The guild?" She asked. "But I'm hungry!" Natsu and Gray didn't reply, they just silently walked out of her apartment and waited for her. Lucy sighed, and ran after them.

-/-

Reflected in the shop windows, Lucy could see her blonde hair, slightly damp from her shower. She was wearing a blue-grey strapless top, with white designs, and lined with tiny white ruffles. In contrast, her skirt was the same pink as her earrings. On one shoulder she carried a small purse with her phone and wallet. It was also pink.

As they walked to the mysterious 'guild', Nastu and Gray kept up a constant stream of chatter about Fairy Academy. While Lucy loved to hear about it, she tuned them out as she silently observed the boys.

Gray was taller, almost six feet and his raven black hair and eyes made his skin look pale. He was simply dressed in a full sleeved dark blue shirt and black jeans with a silver chain attached to his belt loops. It might have been late September but there was still a warm summer breeze in the air which slightly mussed up his hair. _He's definitely cute,_ Lucy thought. _But I could do without the stripping._

The sun rays reflected off Natsu's salmon pink hair. He was at least an inch shorter than Gray, his built slender and lean. His eyes were twinkling as he laughed with Gray about the numerous pranks the two had pulled. He was similarly dressed in jeans and a red and black shirt, the sleeves rolled up. His scaly white scarf was ever present and so was his golden earring. _None of my male characters have earrings..._ Lucy realised. _I thought they were too punk. But they really suit -_

"Welcome, to The Guild!" Natsu said, halting in front of a four storey building. Lucy stared at it, wide eyed. There were large glass windows on the ground floor and everything else was shiny metal and wood. Inscribed on top were the words, 'The Guild'.

"Wow..." Lucy was lost for words. "This is -" Her stomach rumbled and Lucy flushed.

Gray smirked. "Right on time!" He pushed open the doors and the three walked in.

"Welcome to The Guild!" Mirajane greeted them cheerfully. "There's a table in the corner!"

"Mira? You work here?" Lucy asked, shocked.

Mirajane nodded. "It's my part time job!" She replied. "I'm so glad you two bought Lucy here!" She lead them to their table and handed them there menus but Natsu waved them off.

"Nah, Mira. We'll have the usual." He said.

"The usual?" Lucy asked, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"It's a surprise!" Mira said, her eyes sparkling as she walked away. She was wearing a short hot pink dress with elbow length sleeves. Around her waist was a white apron with the words "The Guild" written in bright colours. Under it was a silver fairy.

"I didn't know this was part of Fairy Tail too!" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's sponsored by them." Gray explained. "And Macao and Wakaba, the owners, were part of Fairy Tail too."

"You guys got lucky!" Mirajane announced as she placed three plates on their table. "Macao had already started making your usuals."

"That's cause I called ahead." Gray told her. "Otherwise my food would've been hot."

Mira leaned over to ruffle his hair in a 'big sister' way. "You're the only one in Magnolia who doesn't like a plate of hot eggs and bacon." She chided him.

Gray shuddered. "It's disgusting." Natsu was already eating what looked like a plate of omelette, bacon rashers and hash browns, except they were covered with Tabasco sauce and chilli powder. Gray's plate was the same, except it wasn't giving off a single wisp of steam and had been sprinkled with mint leaves. Lucy breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw her plate. It was normal. At least it _looked_ normal. But one bite proved that it tasted delicious.

"Ah! This is the best omelette I've ever had." Lucy said with a contended sigh. "Then you'll love what we're having tonight!" Mira said as she passed by.

"Tonight?" Lucy asked. "What's tonight?"

"Only the best food." Natsu said, a hungry gleam in his eye. "Omelette, mackerel, tempura..." He went of in a food daze.

Gray slapped him on the back of his head. "Oi, do ever think about anything besides food, Pyro?"

Natsu let his fork drop onto the empty plate with a clang. "What's it to you, huh, Stripper?" He said, shoving Gray. The raven head stood up abruptly, knocking back his chair.

"Don't push me, bastard!"

"What did you call me?" Natsu cried, standing up as well. Gray simply punched him but before Natsu could respond, a sickly sweet voice cut in.

"Do you boys mind taking it outside?" Mira asked. She made it sound like a 'do or die' order. She was still smiling and her arms were held out in front of her innocently. But her eyes gleamed demonically. The two stared at her, before yelling out a yes and running out of the cafe.

Lucy sighed and went back to eating.

-/-

"So exactly where are we going now?" Lucy asked curiously. When she had walked out of the Guild, she had found the two boys sitting on the sidewalk wallowing in their misery. Gray had a bruised jaw and Natsu had a gash on his forehead. Luckily the bleeding had stopped.

"Erza is gonna kill us!" Natsu moaned, ignoring her.

"The she'll resurrect us and torture us to death." Gray continued.

"You guys have an over active imagination." Lucy said, raising her eyebrows on confusion. "But you still didn't tell me where we're going." They paused in front of a shop that sold coats and stuff. "Eh?" Lucy asked, confused.

"We're shopping for coats," She craned her head to glance through the windows. "And gloves?"

Gray shook his head, gesturing to where Natsu had been standing a few seconds ago. "The pyro needs gloves so we're making a short stop." He said. "Don't worry we're not going shopping."

Lucy pouted. "But I like shopping."

"Girls!" Gray scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"So, how's hockey going?" Lucy asked trying to make conversation.

Gray rolled his eyes. "It would have been amazing if some delinquent hadn't sneaked in itching powder in our uniforms." He grumbled with a sigh. "It took three washes to get it out and we missed out on two days of practice."

Lucy held back a giggle. "That's too bad." She said, feigning normalcy. "I had no idea he used the more powerful one..." She muttered under her breathe.

Gray gave her an odd look. "Do you know something I don't?"

"I uh -" She faltered. Natsu came running out of the store, holding a small paper bag. He pulled out two pairs of gloves and handed them to Lucy. _Natsu saves the day,_ she thought, _again._

"Can you put one pair in your purse?" He asked, pouting. "I might drop them."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but complied. "Why do you need gloves in sumner?"

"It's not really summer anymore, Luce." He reminded her. "And I need them for my experiments." He slipped on the fingerless black gloves. "The guy made a special fire-proof pair for me."

"At least you won't burn them this time." Gray grumbled. "Come on, we're gonna be late." He said as he started down the road. Natsu and Lucy exchanged glances, before hurrying after him.

-/-

"Lucy-san?" Wendy exclaimed in delight as she ran down the path to greet the older girl. "What are you doing here?" Lucy smiled as she hugged the girl, gesturing to the two boys who were slightly more banged up than before. Apparently Gray found out Natsu had messed with the hockey uniforms.

"These two brought me here as a surprise. I'm so glad they did!"

Wendy laughed, grabbing Lucy's hand. "Come on. Let me show you around!" She lead Lucy past the gardens into a large house with the words 'Fairy Hills' written in bright colours. They walked past the front door into a small room. A large wooden staircase was in one corner and a single door lead to comfortable looking lounge.

A middle aged lady came out of the kitchen, her pink hair in a bun with chopsticks, her face wrinkled. She was wearing a simple green blouse and a long pink skirt. She eyed Lucy's tight top and short skirt with distaste.

"Wendy, you should know better that to invest your company with the likes of people like her." She said, wrinkling her nose. "You're a Heartfilia, aren't you? I saw your face plastered on my newspaper. Good for nothing, you lot..." She grumbled. Lucy blanched at the sudden harsh criticism, but before she could say a word, the lady walked out of the front door.

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Wendy apologised. "Porlyusica-san is usually in a bad mood. But she can be really nice too!" She said hurriedly. "Since she's the caretaker of this place..."

Lucy placed a hand in the other girl's shoulder. "It's okay, Wendy." She brushed off. "Can you take me to Levy's room first?"

"Of course!" Wendy said, eager to please.

-/-

Levy bit her lip as she tapped the 'power off' button. As her phone shut off, she placed in her drawer and slammed it shut. The hinges rattled and she blinked back tears. She reached for her notebook, her eyes scanning page after page, before she sighed and reached for another book on her bed.

Her room looked like a war zone. Books upon books were stacked in every corner, coffee mugs and more open books graced her bookshelves. Her laptop was surrounded by printouts with words painstakingly highlighted. A single pathway from her bed to her door was clean from all the mess. All her friends were forbidden from entering since she was 'working on a project'.

Just then, the door opened and Levy leapt up. Grabbing all the printouts she placed them on her laptop's keyboard and shut the screen. She heaved a sigh of relief. No immediate evidence for now...

She glanced back at the doorway, to where a blonde was gaping at her. "Bad timing?"

 _Oh she had no idea..._

-/-

Lucy gawked at the sight of her new best friend.

Levy's blue curls hung limply past her shoulders, her eyes bloodshot and bleary. Her face was pale and her clothes seemed to hang off her skinny frame.

"Bad timing?" The blonde asked. Levy's eyes lost the deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression as she managed a smile.

"I'm just really tired." She admitted. "What are you doing here?"

"The boys dragged me here." Lucy said. "I figured this was the best way to see your room. Does it, uh, normally look like this?"She asked hesitantly.

"I was actually working on a project..." Levy trailed off without conviction.

"Never mind that." Lucy said firmly. She grabbed Levy by the shoulders and sat her down on her bed, facing her wardrobe. "You need a makeover. And, clearly, a shower."

Lucy ignored Levy's protests and flung open her wardrobe. A pair of white capri pants caught her eye. "This is cute!" She crooned.

"Mira forced me to buy it." Levy grumbled.

"It still has the price tag on." Lucy realised with a start. She flung them a Levy. "You are definitely wearing this." She ordered. Lucy pulled out a dark blue waistcoat next. She silently handed it to Levy, who accepted it submissively.

But then her eyes widened at the strapless yellow crop top Lucy was holding up. "Oh hell no, Lu-chan!" She protested. "No way!"

"Levy this is so cute, it's perfect!" Lucy gushed. The two had a mini glaring contest, which Lucy won. Levy grabbed her clothes as she headed towards the bathroom with a sigh.

Lucy decided to go back to Wendy while Levy showered, and began to hunt for her purse. In the tiny clothes scuffle, it had fallen under Levy's bed. As she pulled it out, Lucy's eyes fell on the blunette's notebook.

One word had been written down repeatedly. _Kurogane_. Lucy wrinkled her nose. Kurogane? It didn't sound English. Japanese? She hadn't heard it in any anime recently either. She had studied French and Latin in Spirit, but Kurogane wasn't part of that either. Lucy sighed. She had better things to do than think about a single word she didn't know about.

-/-

"I had no idea you baked, Wendy!" Lucy said, taking a bite of the blueberry muffins Wendy had just made.

Wendy smiled. "It's actually more of a hobby." Wendy said, blushing. "It was actually a mistake."

"Do tell." Lucy urged, leaning closer.

"I wanted to join the photography club with my friends, but there was a mix-up." Wendy explained. "I ended up in the cooking club instead. For some reason I stuck around and now," she held up here hands as if to say 'well that's that'.

"These are so good, you don't even need to freeze them." Gray remarked, biting into his fourth chocolate chip cookie.

"No need for hot sauce either!" Natsu claimed.

Lucy rolled her eyes at them. "What are you making now?" She asked Wendy.

"I learnt a new strawberry cheesecake recipe so I'm making it for Erza-nee." Wendy said sweetly. "She loves cake. Especially strawberry cake."

"Yours is just as good as Yajima-san's, Wendy." Erza said as she walked into the kitchen. She set down a paper bag next to Wendy. "I got the rest of your supplies." She turned to Lucy. "I didn't expect to see you here, Lucy. And how did you two get those bruises?" Erza turned to Natsu and Gray, hands on her hips.

"We uh-" Gray said.

"Actually-" Natsu struggled.

"They were defending my honour!" Lucy blurted out. All eyes turned to her.

"They were?" Erza asked suspiciously.

"We were?" Natsu asked. Lucy shot him a glare.

"Yes they were." Lucy lied. "It was a couple of weirdos. They totally saved me."

Erza relaxed. "I'm glad to see you boys putting all your training to good use." She declared. "You might need to ice those bruises though." She pointed out as she walked away.

The two boys let out huge sighs of relief. They bowed in front of Lucy. "You are our saviour." They declared. "We owe you."

Wendy giggled. "That was evil, Lucy."

"Hell no." Gray said. "Erza is evil. Lucy is kind. Lucy is nice."

"Lucy is awesome. Lucy is smart. Lucy is -" Natsu continued.

"That's enough!" Lucy said, slapping her forehead. "Never again, though." She shuddered. "Who knows what Erza would do if she found out..."

-/-

When Levy came down, the boys were busy playing video games in the lounge. Jet and Gray were sitting on the floor barely a foot away from the TV. They were hurriedly tapping their controllers and yelling out curses and combos. Natsu was sitting on the sofa, jumping up and down in excitement, cheering on Jet. Droy was watching intently, shovelling large amounts of chips into his mouth.

Levy smiled fondly at the sight. She didn't mean to sound obnoxious, but she was eternally grateful towards the creation of the X-Box which kept Jet and Droy distracted. It wasn't that the boys were some desperate losers who hung around her like lapdogs. No, they were two surprisingly popular, good looking boys whom she had known since she first came to Fairy Hills. Neither of them were orphans, but Jet's parents were divorced and Droy lived with his sisters since both his parents were in the military - so they both came from troubled backgrounds as well.

The three had instantly clicked. Every where they went, they were together. 'Levy, Jet and Droy', the trio, never one without the other two. They stuck together through thick and thin.

One Valentines Day, when Levy was barely fifteen years old, the unthinkable happened. She had read enough books to know that this was the age when boys started to show an interest in you. However, living in fantasy worlds, Levy was always wary of boys since they were always the result of a broken heart or many sleepless nights and tears. Levy was practical. She knew that you don't need a boy to be happy.

But then Jet confessed to her. Pressurised, Levy agreed to go on a date with him. It didn't end well. The next day, Droy asked her out as well. Levy should've learned from her mistakes, but she agreed again. Maybe she just couldn't say no, because she ended up dating both her best friends, without the other finding out.

For a while she kept it up, but then Levy cracked. She burst into tears and confessed. She hadn't fallen in love with either of them, but she felt broken hearted anyways. Maybe because she felt she had lost the two most important people in her life.

Jet and Droy were forgiving, sensitive boys. They gave her space and gradually the three grew back together again. They still loved her and they accepted it. Why did they love Levy, they often asked themselves. She wasn't gorgeous, witty or striking in anyway. Levy was kind and sweet and easily forgiving.

Levy had read about love in books. It was like an adventure. You never knew what to expect, or what would happen next. Love was a mystery. An enigma. To Jet and Droy, Levy certainly wasn't a mystery. Loving her wasn't uncharted territory. It didn't give them thrills and there were never any surprises. They knew what to expect.

Levy figured it was easy to love your best friend. You knew what would happen next. But the only person (or in her case, people) who could differentiate between loving their best friend and being in love their best friend were Jet and Droy. Over the course of time, Levy had accepted that. She knew the boys were trying to move on. But they would never stop caring for her. Nowadays they acted less like besotted best friends and more like over-protective brothers. They still loved her, but Levy hoped it was a different kind of love now.

Despite her extensive reading, Levy was clueless about actually falling in love. It could happen between the most unlikeliest of people in the space of a few short seconds, that they both would either cherish or regret forever.

Her mind flashed back to her research. _Kurogane,_ she wondered. _Why me?_

-/-

It's always weird watching your best friend decked out in new threads, looking totally adorable, standing on the staircase, contemplating life's greatest mysteries.

"Levy? Levy. Levy McGarden!" Lucy waved a hand in front of the blunette's face, trying to get her attention. "Levy?"

"Huh?"

"Do you wanna check out the bookshop now?" Lucy asked. "The new one down the street you were telling me about."

"Oh yeah!" Levy realised. "They have the book I want. Can we leave now?" Lucy laughed at her sudden enthusiasm.

"You haven't left the house for two days, except to go to school." She scolded her friend. "Erza told me you weren't sleeping either. You need a break." She insisted.

"I know, I know." Levy waved her off. "Let's hurry, Lu-chan. There are books just waiting to be bought." She said, eager to change the topic.

"Fine!" Lucy gave up.

-/-

The two spent an hour in the bookshop, giggling over passionate romance novels and chick flicks. They departed, weights lifted off their shoulders, with large bags overflowing with books thanks to Levy's employee discount.

"I can't believe you work here." Lucy exclaimed.

"Four days a week." Levy confirmed with a nod. "But I can buy all the books I want since I do the most boring job - inventory. Almost no one else volunteered for the job. They were so desperate they agreed to all my demands, so I get two times the usual salary plus a major discount."

Lucy giggled. "And Erza works too?" Levy shook her head. "Erza doesn't need to since she's a high achiever."

Lucy's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "What does that have to do with this?"

Levy took a deep breath. "Basically, the Fairy Tail program gives us free accommodation - Fairy Hills, and education - Fairy Academy. When you turn sixteen, you can move out like Natsu and Gray, or you can stay at the Hills if there's space, and if you're okay with buying your own stuff and cooking for yourself too." "If you get good grades and you participate in club activities, you get a decent allowance. If you're an honour student or you're in a team or something, then you get enough money to get your own place. Since Natsu and Gray have both broken records in track or hockey or even chemistry, they can afford their place on Strawberry Street. Not to mention the art projects Gray gets paid for. And Erza? She's student council president, kendo champion and A grade student. She rolling in cash but she spends it on armour or clothes. Oh and cake." Levy chuckled. "Erza had an unhealthy obsession for cake. But she prefers to stay at Fairy Hills, with all of together."

"But what about Evergreen and Mira?" Lucy asked. "People like Ever and Bisca have normal families but, obviously, there's always trouble of some sort since their Fairy Tail, right?" Levy explained. "They don't get that many benefits but they're guaranteed a home here. And Mira? She works at the Guild part time. Plus she and her brother have an apartment above the Guild. With her job and the cheerleading team, they're quite well off."

"I never realised the lengths Master Makarov goes to for your wellbeing. It's kinda like training for when you've gotta do everything yourself later in life." Lucy realised.

"Exactly. He always says that it's not our fault for ending up where we did, but we can try and change where we end up tomorrow, if we work hard enough."

"I can't believe you guys get paid to study." Lucy grumbled.

"Not just us anymore. You're one of us too." Levy reminded her.

Lucy smiled and Levy could have sworn all the eighty-eight heavenly bodies twinkled in her eyes.

-/-

"This is definitely the best ice cream I've ever had!" Lucy said, waving around her spoon. Her cup only had half a scoop of blueberry ice cream left.

"No questions there." Nastu replied, taking another bite of his 'dark chocolate supreme' ice cream.

"I could have this all day." Gray agreed. He was on his fourth scoop of mint chip. That guy had a weird thing for ice cream. Just then his phone rang, and Gray groaned. "Lyon again. I swear that bastard never gives me a break!" He grabbed his phone and walked off.

Lucy glanced at Natsu, puzzled. "Who's Lyon?"

"Gray's step-brother." He answered nonchalantly, more interested in his ice cream. Gray came back, slamming his phone in the table, swearing intensely.

"You have a brother?" Lucy asked, shocked. "I thought you guys were from Fairy Hills too."

"We were." Nastu replied, scratching his head nervously. "But we didn't spend all our lives there. It's just," he struggled, glancing at Gray, who was sulking. "We kinda wanna forget what happened before. It's not like things were easier then." His voice sounded distant and Lucy felt embarrassed for asking such a question.

"I'm sorry for asking." She blurted. "But can you at least tell me why you guys brought me to Fairy Hills?"

"Do ya' wanna go back home?" Natsu asked, puzzled. "Cause I thought you wanted to check out Levy and Wendy's stuff, didn't ya?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, I did. But you guys bringing me - I mean appreciate it, I really do. But, why? I mean, what do you gain from bringing me here?"

"Gain? Why would we gain anything?. Natsu asked.

Lucy flushed, unable to phrase her question and wanting to express gratitude at the same time. "I mean, obviously -"

"You're our friend, stupid." Gray cut in. "You're new, so we're showing you around. Is that so bad?"

"No. And I'm glad you guys brought me here -"

"Then what's the problem?" Gray asked impatiently.

"Nothing." Lucy mumbled. "You're all so different from the kids at Spirit, it's difficult to adjust." She said quietly. "Sometimes I forget that you guys don't have stone cold hearts and prejudiced personalities."

"Oh that reminds me." She said. "Do you guys know what Kurogane means?"

"It's Japanese." Gray said. "I think."

"It sounds familiar." Natsu mused aloud. He tossed her his phone. "Google it." He said.

Lucy did and the search revealed that Kurogane meant 'black steel'. "Black steel?" Lucy muttered. "I haven't heard anything like that. What the hell does it even mean..."

The three spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around on high street or wandering about in the parks, talking. Lucy told them about Yukino and Hisui and the rest of Spirit's stupid rules and regulations. Natsu told her about the firecrackers business he had. It was really small scale, but he loved working on the other explosive materials. Gray talked about his ice sculptures and paintings and about hockey. Eventually the conversation turned to Loke, Gray's team mate.

"Girls are always falling all over him when ever we walk so the halls." Gray grumbled. "It's annoying. The worst part is, he encourages them."

Lucy chuckled. "He sounds like a player."

"He's a total man whore." Natsu said, annoyed. "One of the guys in the track team has a thing for him. It's not a big deal but the guy goes on and on about how hot Loke is and how cute his glasses are and he wanted to get piercings too and he should wear a ring like Loke too." He ranted. "No wonder everyone makes fun of him."

"I wonder what he looks like." Lucy said wistfully.

Natsu turned to her, his eyes wide. "No, no you don't." He said forcefully. "Loke is a creep. You don't need to see him. Ever."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at his sudden reaction. "And why is that? Am I not his type?"

"Actually you are." Gray cut in. "Blonde, bubbly and classy. And I don't mean that in a good way."

"Lucy!" Natsu shrieked. "You're interestedly in a guy you've never met? You really are a weirdo."

"Hey!" Lucy cried, temper flaring. She leaned over to slap her purse against his face. "I *smack* am *smack* not a *smack* weirdo!"

"Ouch!" He groaned. "That was mean!" Gray watched the two with an amused expression as they continued to bicker. _Oh, they had no idea..._

-/-

"Hey, I'm Mr. Right. Someone said you were looking for me."

"I lost my number. Can I have yours instead?"

"I'm gonna need a map, cause I'm already lost in your eyes."

Lucy would've never thought she would agree with Natsu. Loke was _a total creep_. Okay, maybe creep was pushing it. The boy loved to flirt with anything that had a pair of boobs. He even admitted it two minutes ago.

Lucy scowled. Natsu was slumped on the bar top, eating something called 'fire chicken'. A shirtless Gray was sitting with Cana, trying to avoid the pints of beer that she offered every five minutes. Erza and Bisca were busy with a game of billiards with Alzack, Max, Warren and Jet cheering them on. Laki and another girl with purple locks were sitting in one corner, sipping lemonade, laughing and giggling. Evergreen and Bixlow were sitting on one the tables, writing down a song with Freed, who was strumming his acoustic guitar. Mira was running from table to table with her brother Elfman, serving food and drinks. Wendy was perched on a table, posing prettily for Reedus, the twenty-two year old skinny artist extraordinaire. A purple haired boy, the son of the cook Macao, was supposed to be assisting Mira as well. His name was Romeo, and the dark red necklace he wore around his neck glimmered on his chest, as he cleaned the bar top lazily.

They were back at the Guild, just in time for Lucy to meet the rest of the Fairy Tail group who came over every Saturday. Unfortunately she had been stuck with Loke for the past hour. He had spiked orange-red hair and glasses, and an orange ring glittered on his left hand. He was wearing black pants, an orange shirt and a green jacket with a fur-lined collar. Was he good looking? Extremely. Was he smooth and suave? Almost too much. Could his smoulder turn your knees to jelly? No. The moment Lucy saw him, she didn't see the charming playboy. He was just an overly attractive guy. One reason she wasn't blown away by his looks? It was because she had seen him before.

The moment she saw him, Lucy was certain she had met Loke before. At a party? In town? Or at a formal dinner with her dad? Lucy wasn't sure where, but she was certain she had seen those spiky hair and that ring somewhere. It was like a hazy part of her memory. Loke was there, laughing, girls hanging on his arms. Then something happened and they all scampered away, throwing apologetic glances at him. She remembered someone next to her saying that he was easily the hottest guy there. She didn't even remember who that was. But Lucy was certain that it was Loke, but since she didn't have any proof, she didn't say anything.

It was weird. Seeing a guy at a party or something shouldn't have been a big deal, and mentioning it to said guy wasn't supposed to be a problem. Except Lucy just couldn't saying it. She had a nagging feeling at the back of her head that something about that night was important, but what?

The more she thought about it, the more certain Lucy was that she had been drunk. Normally she would've dismissed it, and it wasn't like the blonde's cheerful and bubbly personality to mull over something so trivial. So she had filed away that memory, and had acted like this was the first time she had met the guy. He had seemed apprehensive when he first met her, but now he was shamelessly flirting with her.

"Hey, can I follow you home?"

"What?" Lucy sputtered.

"Oh sorry my parents just told me to follow my dreams." Loke replied smoothly.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed in agitation, slamming her glass of coke on the table. "Enough with the pickup lines. Please!" She pleaded.

"I will never give up on you, Lucy." Loke said, smirking at her.

"You're annoying!" Lucy wasn't the best at insulting people. She walked up to the billiards area, irritated. Erza was resetting the table, her cue propped up beside the table. From the looks of it, Bisca had clearly lost. She was wedged between Alzack and a table, looking relieved that her match with Erza was over.

"Hey Bisca!" Lucy greeted. "How was the match?"

Bisca's shoulders sagged. "I'm just glad it's over." She admitted. "Erza is ruthless."

Lucy shuddered. "I'll take your word for it."

"Loke bothering you already?" Alzack chimed in with a small smirk. "I'm surprised. Most girls don't really see past the smoulder."

Lucy burst out laughing. "He's not exactly subtle, is he?"

"Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it." Bisca said, giggling. "You're lucky he has the attention span of a goldfish." She nodded over to Loke, who already had his arms around a pretty redhead.

"Huh. Tell me about it." Lucy sighed. "Hey, have you guys heard from Levy?"

Alzack shook his head. "I haven't seen her a while. Wendy was saying she didn't even come down for lunch yesterday." He shrugged. "I figured she was doing a project."

"Me neither. I'm surprised she's not here today. Levy never misses these events." Bisca said.

"She's been so distracted lately. I just hope -" Lucy started.

"Lucy, I hear you're quite sufficient in billiards." Erza cut in. She held up a spare cue, eyeing Lucy steadily. "I'm sure you won't mind a round with me, now would you?"

Lucy gulped as she reached for the cue. "Aye, sir."

-/-

The next morning, birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and Lucy Heartfilia lay in bed, covers thrown off, snoring like a jackhammer. She had staggered home at one in the morning and the exhaustion had caught up to her. She had collapsed in her bed and was out like a light.

One floor above, Nastu Dragneel was in a similar position, his legs tangled in the covers, snoring just as loudly. Outside placed on the kitchen counter was a large block of ice. Gray Fulbuster had already carved half of it into a very lifelike sculpture of Erza dressed in what seemed like an ordinary pair of knee high boots and a full sleeved dress, except it looked to be made of metal. Clasped in her hand was a large retangle, which Gray had yet to carve into a sword as tall as Erza. She liked to call it her 'purgatory armour'.

He had been commissioned by Erza herself, and she wanted it be extremely detailed and delicate. Ignoring the muffled snores of his roommate, Gray rolled his eyes and went back to work.

The rest of the day was spent in doing assignments and studying for Lucy. Kind of like an anti climax compared to her adventures the previous week. In the end, it was just what the doctor ordered.

-/-

The Fairy/Courage Sports Festival was approaching. It was on Thursday and the few short days spent in its wake seemed like a blur to Lucy. For example, on Tuesday, the first four periods were spent by the teachers trying to make them study. But everyone was way to hyped up about the Festival to actually pay attention, so the teachers just grumbled about talking amongst themselves and not making too much noise. Lucy and Natsu would spend period after period discussing the latest anime they had discovered and fallen in love with - Bleach. Gray would start sketching, shirtless as usual, while Erza would either rush off to the student council office or would start studying.

Levy was sick that day, and Jet and Droy could be seen unhappily conversing about why their friend collapsed due to exhaustion yesterday.

Lunch would roll around and everyone would separate; Nastu and Jet to the field, Gray to the stadiums and Lucy and Bisca would dash to the gym.

That day, on the way Bisca got held up by one of the teachers, so Lucy ran ahead. When she reached the gym, Lucy heard an odd wailing sound from the locker rooms. It sounded like a cat was dying. Worriedly she rushed over, past the row of lockers, in search of the source.

A tall blonde boy was fixing his tie, his back to her. He was also singing, well screeching.

"I will travel across the lands!" He croaked. "Searching far and wide!"

Lucy's eyes all but popped out of her head. _Is that -_

"Each Pokemon to understand, the power that's inside!" The boy continued, really getting into it. He pulled out his school bag from the locker and placed it on the bench. Rolling up his sleeves he continued; "Pokemon! Gotta catch them all!"

"It's you and me! Oh, I know its my destiny!" He warbled, thrusting out his hands as if he was in front of an audience. "Pokemon, oh, you're my best friend! In a world we must defend!"

He spun around, mouth open to belt out the next chorus - and caught sight of Lucy, who was shamelessly gawking at him.

He quickly regained his composure and cleared his throat, glaring at her. "This is the boys locker room." He said bluntly. "Go oogle at some other guy." He shooed her off.

"Wa-was that -"Lucy struggled. "The Pokemon theme song?" She asked, embarrassed.

"So what if it was?" He questioned, leaning close to her, glaring murderously. "And you're going to forget that ever happened, got it?" He hissed, dropping his voice.

"O-okay." Lucy said, her voice several octaves higher. She spun around and walked away. Suddenly she turned around and looked the blonde on the eye.

Before her newfound courage would fail her, she sang; "Pokemon! A heart so true! Our courage will pull us through!" Lucy wasn't blessed with an amazing voice. Not the slightest..."You teach me and I'll teach you!" She continued.

"Pokemon!" She took a deep breath as she sang the last line. "Gotta catch 'em all!"

She glanced at the boy, who had stiffened. His glare didn't seem so murderous now. Satisfied, Lucy walked away without a word.

-/-

Lucy was tying her laces when Bisca and Evergreen finally walked in.

"You're here early!" Ever remarked.

"Yeah, where were you guys?" Lucy asked, tightening her ribbon.

"We were helping Mira carry the new pom-poms." Bisca answered, opening her locker.

"We get new pom-poms?"

"Obviously! You expect us to use those sad little things in the Festival?" Evergreen chided.

"We get new uniforms too!" Bisca exclaimed excitedly.

Lucy glanced down at their ordinary blue and gold uniforms. _Wow, Mira really goes all out_. She realised.

Lucy regretted walking out of the locker rooms. It seemed like she was having a very, very bad day. Leaning against the wall were Mira and some guy, making out.

 _Did they forget about us?_ She thought, her eyes wide. More than anything, watching other people, especially people you know, make out is weird. The two broke apart, and the guy turned to glare at Lucy for interrupting them.

"Eek!" She squeaked. It was the blonde Pokemon guy from before! She placed a hand in front her mouth in shock. Said blonde guy narrowed his eyes, his mouth set in a grim line as he took in Lucy's cheerleading uniform and realised her connection to Mira.

Mira, on the other hand, smiled at Lucy, oblivious to either of them. "Oh my!" She said, a reddish tinge on her cheeks. "I didn't realise you were already here. I apologise." She said sweetly. She gestured to the blonde boy.

"Have you met Laxus? He's Master Makrov's grandson." She not-so-subtly stabbed Laxus in the ribs. "Be nice." She hissed.

Laxus only nodded towards her. "I'm Laxus Dreyar." He muttered.

"L-Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy replied. She had just witnessed _Mira's boyfriend singing the Pokemon theme song_. _This is so awkward..._ She realised.

"Come on, you two!." Mira chided. "Lucy is a very good friend of mine, so you'll be seeing her often. You better get along with her, or else." She threatened Laxus. She turned to Lucy, who gulped unconsciously. "Laxus is my boyfriend, you see. So you'll just have to bear with him." She said, shooting an unimpressed glance his way.

"Yes, ma'am." Lucy blurted out. Luckily the rest of the team decided to finally show up and save her from immense embarrassment. Laxus was dismissed and the team began their vigorous routines again.

-/-

The very next day, Lucy was saved from eternal torment on the form of math when Mira showed up and sent her to the gym with Bisca. A few minutes later, Lucy was sitting on the floor in the gym with Lisa and Michelle while a lady was carefully measuring Bisca's waist. Mira was in charge of uniforms this year, and she wanted to go all out. Lucy watched as the lady measured Bisca's arms, her neck and shoulders before turning to the two girls who were talking in hushed tones.

"I can't believe the festival is tomorrow!" Lisa was saying. "I still need to perfect my jumps."

"Don't worry, it's not like any one will pay attention to us." Michelle replied, her voice scathing. "All the attention will be on _them_."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"I - I meant Phantom." Michelle said hurriedly, the colour of cheeks rapidly reddened. "All the attention with be on Phantom."

Lucy bugged her eyes out, as if to indicate, _that better not happen again_. Michelle only nodded hastily in agreement.

"Phantom? I thought it was Courage?" Lisa asked, tilting her head to one side.

Michelle leaned forward in a _'gossip-ahoy'_ way. " _You know_ , Gajeel and the Element Four." She said, dropping her voice. "Everyone knows they're part of Phantom Lord, the gang."

"Gang?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, it's common knowledge." Michelle shrugged her shoulders. "Most of the kids in Courage take drugs, and those guys are the dealers. They get paid a lot just to help around the principal of the school. He's the gang leader, after all." She said.

"Wait, if everyone knows that, then why doesn't anyone arrest him?" Lisa asked. "Michelle! It's your turn!" Mira called out from across the gym. As the girl got up, Lisa turned to Lucy, curious.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. She had no idea there was a gang within Magnolia. She squeezed her eyes shut. It just brought back painful memories.

-/-

"Oi, Lucy! Wait up!" Natsu called out. Lucy paused on the sidewalk, surprised to see the pinkette a few steps behind her.

"Oh, hey!" She said dejectedly. "Natsu, have you heard from Levy?" She asked worriedly.

"Huh? Oh yeah." He said. "Jet said he and Droy went over to her place. They're coming to the school together, so chill."

Lucy let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I was so worried, cause she's not picking up her phone -"

"You worry too much..." Natsu stated. "The Festival is tomorrow, you need to chill out!

" "I know, I know." She said. "But I don't get why we're going to school in the evening." Lucy grumbled, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. She had decided to go with an understated look today, a green tee and black tights instead of her usual short skirts. Natsu was also plainly dressed in cargo pants and black tee, his scarf draped around his neck, and his hair spiky.

"Gramps calls us all over before any special event. He mainly gives us this really boring speech thingy, and then we all go over to the Guild and party! I like that part." Natsu said. He turned to her. "You keep forgetting you're not them anymore, Luce." He said softly.

Lucy turned to glance at him. "What do you mean?"

"Uh, it's kinda difficult to explain." Natsu said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "It's just, you're in Fairy Tail now. An' you're not just a student of Fairy Academy. You're like, part of our family. I remember when I first came here. Gramps was like, ' _you're one of us now_ '. I think I get what he meant by that. Fairy Tail protects you, and you protect it too. Like tomorrow. You hafta do your best, got it, Luce? You gotta, cause our reputation's on the line here, kay?" He rambled.

Lucy laughed. "Your way of thinking is really jumbled up." She said. "But I get what you're trying to say."

She sighed. "You know, how they saw you gotta let go of the past?"

"Yeah, so?"

"What if it keeps coming back to haunt you, and you just - you just _can't let go._ " She blurted out. "What if you're trying to fit in, but it's just not happening?" Her stare became more serious. "Do you ever feel like an outsider? That - that no matter what anyone says, you just can't be _one of them_?" Lucy flushed, surprised that she had blurted all of that out. "I'm sorry, I should just shut up now -"

"I think you've fit in more easily than you realise, Lucy!" Natsu interrupted her, placing his hands behind his head. "Fairy Academy and Spirit are worlds apart, Luce." He said gently, glancing into her eyes. He looked so intense and _real_. You could see the slight apprehension in his eyes, but the feelings loyalty and and care for his friend clouded it. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and Lucy felt a jolt.

Time seemed to stand still around those two. He smiled at her, and Lucy managed a small smile, feeling over whelmed for some reason. Nastu opened his mouth to say something, when a shout rang out from behind.

"You guys done making out?" Gray called out as he jogged up to them. "Cause we're gonna be late!" Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _Great timing, Fulbuster..._ Before she could retort, Natsu silently handed her an earbud, pointing to his iPod. He gestured to Gray who was walking in front of them, ranting about his latest art competition, and held a finger against his mouth telling her be quiet.

Lucy gratefully accepted it and stuck it in her ear, letting the blaring music replace Gray's monologue. The wire tightened,and Lucy unconsciously moved closer to Natsu, suddenly aware of her heart beating rapidly for no apparent reason.

-/-

"I mean, come on, I used the frickin' easel to make something I want. They wanted something on roses, so I drew them frozen. What so bad about that huh?" Gray grumbled, turning to Natsu and Lucy for their opinion. Well, Lucy's opinion at least cause Natsu hated everything about art.

Gray's eyes widened ever so slightly, but he kept walking. Natsu and Lucy were walking together, sharing earbuds. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it was.

For starters, there just seemed something private and well, _romantic_ about that. Secondly, Natsu was super sensitive about sharing his music. Gary shook his head, a small smirk on his lips. I _need to talk to Cana._ He told himself. _She's totally right about the betting pool. Who won't bet on these two? It's so damn obvious!_

-/-

While students normally entered through the front doors of the school, today it was just the Fairy Tail kids meeting in the gym, so they all entered thought the side gate which opened up in the locker rooms. Soon they were all assembled in gym.

Mira, Bisca and Lucy were discussing their routines and Erza was with Freed, checking a list of students. Mira's brother Elfman was standing with Max and Warren, yelling about his ' _manliness_ ' while Alzack trying to pacify Natsu and Gray. Wendy was eagerly talking to Laxus and Bickslow, which was odd, because Laxus hated kids. But Wendy was so sweet it was impossible to not like her. Loke was standing in one corner chatting with Cana, whose silver flask was ever present.

Master Makarov entered a few minutes later and smiled, taking in the scene. "ALRIGHT, YOU BRATS! LISTEN UP!" He yelled. Everyone yelled in protest but assembled in front of him.

"Tomorrow is the Festival, as you all know. For many of you, it's your very first time participating in it." He said. "Four years ago, Courage dominated us. Since then, we have worked tirelessly to even the score. This year, we are tied, and we will win! We will bring glory it Fairy Academy. Some of you are part of the teams, but the rest? You're just as vital for our victory! We all will cheer for our school tomorrow. Cheer for the legacy that you all leave behind! So go, my children, and prove your worth to all of Magnolia tomorrow!" Applause rang throughout the gym as everyone cheered.

"Everyone, proceed to the locker rooms! Let's head to the Guild!" Master Makarov ordered.

Standing near the door, Lucy was the first to walk out of the gyms. She was extremely worried about Levy, Jet and Droy. They hadn't shown up today despite what Natsu said, and Levy wasn't answering her phone either. Everyone around was chattering excitedly, in no hurry to leave.

Lucy sighed. She really wasn't feeling the party spirit tonight. Just then the side doors opened. Lucy turned excitedly, assuming it was her long awaited friend. When they came in sight, Lucy did the only rational thing she could think of. She screamed.

-/-

Natsu was about to jam his fist into Gray's stomach when he heard someone yell his name. _Lucy_. Quick as a flash he ran past the rows of lockers, to where the blonde was standing, her hands on her mouth. She was staring at the doors, her eyes wide with shock.

He leapt forward, placing his arm in front of her protectively, as he turned to what had shocked her. _Jet and Droy._

Natsu wasn't the only one who had heard Lucy scream. More and more people gathered behind them, with reactions of shock and surprise.

Droy was half unconscious, with his arm on Jet's shoulder, leaning heavily on him. His forehead was covered in blood and his arms held scratches and bruises. He held his arm at a disjointed angle, wincing with every step. Jet had a black eye and his jaw was bruised. His orange hair was matted with blood and he was limping heavily.

"L-Levy..." Droy groaned. "Levy..."

"What about Levy?" Lucy asked, more harshly than she intended.

Droy stumbled, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as he swayed on his feet. Gray and Erza ran to support him, throwing his arms around their shoulders.

"Ph-Phantom Lord." Jet managed to say. "Th-they got Levy." He tripped, and Natsu rushed to help him. Jet held out a crumbled ball of paper to Natsu, before falling to his feet. Natsu firmly gripped his arm, helping him sit on the floor.

"Get Master!" He ordered. "Now!" Alzack and Bisca nodded, running back to the gym.

Natsu glanced at the sheet of the paper, his face white with shock. Slowly that shock was replaced by anger, boiling up before he lashed out and punched the metal door of a locker. Nastu ignored his bleeding knuckles, handing the paper to Lucy.

"My word, Jet and Droy?" Master Makarov asked in surprise, as he entered the locker rooms. Alzack and Bisca trailed behind him, Mira land Laxus close behind. "What on earth?"

"' _If you Fairies know what's good for you, you'll participate in the Festival tomorrow._ '" Lucy read out loud. "' _But if you want Levy McGarden back, you'll make sure Courage Academy wins. Signed, Black Steel Gajeel_.'"

 **I apologise for the late update! I'm really, really, really sorry! 11,000 words in exchange of forgiveness? I love you guys for favouriting and following! I cant thank you enough!**

 **Only one person reveiwed though... Im really glad you did, but the rest of you? Come on, you guys can reveiw, right?**

 **Anyways here it is, chapter 4! I'll try to keep updates weekly but no promises...**

 **I really hate school... _**

 **Read and review!**


	5. Chapter 5 - And Then She Jumped

Chapter 5- And Then She Jumped

"' _If you Fairies know what's good for you, you'll participate in the Festival tomorrow._ '" Lucy read out loud. "' _But if you want Levy McGarden back, you'll make sure Courage Academy wins. Signed, Black Steel Gajeel._ '"

The room was silent as everyone processed that information. Lucy silently handed the note to Master Makarov, her knees feeling like jelly. She unconsciously gripped Natsu's sleeve tighter. Lucy was scared. Like really, really scared. Her best friend had been _kidnapped_ by some guy because of a stupid rivalry between two schools? It sounded so crazy. The words kept repeating in her head. _If you Fairies know what's good for you... Want Levy McGarden back..._ _Signed, Black Steel Gajeel..._ Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, trying to understand it all.

Her eyes snapped open as she realised what she had been missing. "K-Kurogane!" She rasped. "L-Levy was being threatened by him." Lucy wasn't sure how she knew, but she did. It made sense.

"What do you mean, Lucy?" Mirajane asked worriedly.

"Black Steel." A look of understanding passed across Natsu's face. "Gajeel. He's been behind this. That bastard..."

"Laxus, get the van!" Master ordered, his voice sharp. Before Lucy could tell him about their discovery, he started barking out more orders. "Bring it in the back!" Laxus only nodded, before disappearing past the doors.

"Freed, call ahead at the hospital!" He continued. "Use your connections and make sure no one finds out about this. The last thing we need is word getting out..."

Freed nodded racing after Laxus, tapping his phone at terrifying speeds.

"Erza and Gray, help the boys into the van. The rest of you, stay here."

"Master, why don't we just call the police?" Bisca asked, biting her nails nervously. A series of agreements rang out behind her.

"Yeah, they'll find Levy instantly!" Max said, relieved.

Master Makarov shook his head grimly. "Jose Porla is a drug lord. Possibly the largest in Magnolia. He has enough connections in the MPD to keep our case under the folds at least until tomorrow morning. And where his connections fail him, his money comes through."

"But Gildarts is in the police force too, isn't he?" Warren asked.

"There is only so much Gildarts alone can do. He needs time to gather his men." Master Makarov said. "Unfortunately by then it'll be too late."

Lucy sighed, the situation was getting more and more tough to handle. A part of just wanted to curl up in a corner and cry, while the other part knew she had be strong for Levy.

As Gray and Erza lifted up Jet, a bright orange object fell out of his pocket. Lucy reached for it with a start. Crusted in blood, slightly dented but in working order, was _Levy's phone._ Lucy switched it on, going straight to messages to confirm her suspicions. And she was right. There were row after row of threats and blackmails, hints of who this person might be, hints as to why he was after her.

"Master, the van is ready." Erza announced. Her clothes were slightly rumpled and dotted with blood stains. Gray was no better. He had lost his shirt, and his hair was tangled with blood as well.

"Good, Erza and Mira, head straight to the van. You're coming with us." Gramps commanded. "As for the rest of you -"

"Wait!" Lucy cried, racing towards Mira. "L-Levy was being blackmailed by Gajeel." She explained, holding up the phone. "Maybe this could help you guys find her. Or at least find out something about Phantom Lord!" Mira nodded, pocketing the phone.

"Don't worry, Lucy." She consoled the blonde. "Things aren't as bad as they seem. Trust me." Lucy only nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Now listen up, the rest of you. None of you is to leave your houses until tomorrow morning, when you'll come straight to the Guild, got it? I want you all to go home in two' or three's. Laki, Kinana you'll go with Max and Warren. Alzack, you take Bisca. Bickslow, drop Cana home, okay. Elfman, you take Evergreen. Gray and Natsu, you live in the same building as Lucy, so you three go together. No fighting, got it?"

The boys only nodded in response.

"Wendy, Fairy Hills isn't safe for you without Erza, and I'm calling Porlyusica to the hospital. Loke, take her to Macao and Wakaba and stay there with Wendy, got it?"

"Don't worry, Master." Loke said seriously.

All of them departed quietly, refusing to talk even on the streets, preferring to stay alert in case they were being followed.

Natsu walked Lucy to her apartment, the rag he'd used to stop the bleeding in his hand soaked. Lucy rolled her eyes, before dragging him in and seating him on her sofa. She grabbed the first aid box and set it down beside him along with a bowl of water. She unwrapped the rag, throwing it in the bin, before using her kitchen towel to quietly clean the blood and dirt. He didn't ask for her help, but Lucy needed a distraction. She blotted up the rest of the blood, before applying the disinfectant.

Natsu winced slightly, gripping her hand more tightly, sending jolts up her skin. Lucy blushed slightly at the sudden contact, carefully wrapping the bandage around his hand.

She cleared her throat. "You'll need to change the bandage in the morning." She said stiffly. Nastu didn't reply, he was staring out of her window intently.

"Uh, Natsu?" She waved a hand in front of his face. "You okay?"

"What?" He asked, breaking away. "Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about tomorrow." He said.

"I know, right." Lucy agreed. "I'm so worried about -" her voice broke.

Natsu stood up hurriedly, on eye level with her now. He grabbed her arm, turning her towards him. "Hey, relax." He said. "Levy's gonna be okay. And so are you." He said in a lower town.

Lucy blinked back tears. "Wha-what if my dad was right?" She asked him. "What if he's right? And - and I can't handle the real world yet? Is this normal?"

Natsu felt helpless. Here she was on the brink of tears, and he had no idea how to comfort her. "Luce-" he started but she cut him off.

"Is this normal?" She repeated desperately. "Gangs, drugs, kidnappings and threats? Is this supposed to happen? Am I supposed to feel so - so helpless?" Lucy couldn't help it as tears leaked from her eyes.

"It's okay." Natsu managed to say. "I'm not gonna say that this is a bad dream an' you'll wake up tomorrow perfectly fine. But things will get better, kay'? Levy needs you to be strong. You gotta be brave, alright?" He replied.

Lucy looked up at him, wiping her tears. "How do you know exactly what to say? Even before, you - you knew how insecure I was feeling."

"What can I say, it's a gift." Natsu joked, hoping to make her laugh. It worked. Lucy cracked a smile.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." She apologised.

"Eh, chillax." He said. "It's normal to feel overwhelmed."

"I remember you said something similar right before you almost blew up the chem lab!" Lucy reminded him with a giggle.

"Aw, crap! You still remember that?" Natsu groaned, secretly glad she was smiling. _She has a really pretty smile._ He realised with a start. _Woah, Natsu, control yourself! Don't even think about going there._

"I could never forget." Lucy said, smirking at him. "It was the first time someone went out of there way to make sure I got wet. I really hated you for spoiling my hair, though." She confided him.

Natsu laughed. "You looked like a drenched rat..." He muttered.

"Hey, I heard that!" Lucy mocked being offended as she slapped his arm. "At least I don't have pink hair..." She retorted.

"Ugh, it's salmon!" Natsu protested. "SALMON, NOT PINK!"

-/-

"Ugh, I just can't sleep!" Lucy exclaimed, kicking off her duvet. "The hell can't I _sleep_?" She asked herself. Lucy knew why. She was antsy. There were butterflies in her stomach struggling to break free. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape the bubbling feeling that shook her body. She was nervous. She was excited. And she just _couldn't_ sleep!

Frustrated she got up, throwing open her door. She paced in her living room until she felt she was creating draft. "Ugh!" She groaned in frustration. Her eye fell on her laptop, and Lucy booted it up. Maybe she could work on her story for a while.

But that idea was in vain too. Lucy just couldn't _focus._ She hissed through her teeth, annoyed. She couldn't concentrate on anything at all. Sighing, she got up and opened the door to her balcony. The cool air rushed in, making her feel at peace. Lucy smiled, as she leaned against the railing and yawned. _I think I'll go sleep now_ , she decided.

Lucy turned around, and her eyes widened as someone pressed a foul smelling rag in front of her face. Black spots appeared in front of her face as Lucy struggled. She managed to elbow her assaulter in the gut. He broke away for a second, surprised. Lucy took the opportunity and screamed.

-/-

Natsu felt unnaturally restless. Not because of Phantom Lord, but rather something else entirely. When ever _she_ was around, he felt _weird_. She made him feel things he didn't know he was capable of feeling. He sighed, rolling over as he replayed their previous conversation in his head for the hundredth time.

Just then he heard a low scream. It was high pitched. _Lucy._ A jolt went through his body as Natsu sat up in bed. She was in trouble, he was sure of it. He raced out if his room towards the window, before he remembered he told her to lock the doors of her balcony just in case, as he was leaving. He took a deep breathe before dashing out of his front door, down the elevator to her apartment.

Natsu knocked, hoping she would open it, irritated that he had woken her up. Hell, he wouldn't mind if she yelled at him. He just hoped she hadn't been the one who had screamed. The feeling in his gut worsened when she didn't open the door. _Relax, she's probably sleeping._ He thought to himself. Despite his consistent knocking she didn't open the door.

"Ugh." He groaned before turning sideways and shoving the door. Three more shoves later, it opened. Natsu glanced inside. _No one was there_.He checked her bedroom, the bathroom, she wasn't there. He raked a hand through his hair, as he walked back to the living room. A sudden burst of cold air brushed against his skin. The balcony was open. His eyes widened. _Lucy!_

-/-

Gray ran a hand through his hair, checking the time. It was four thirty in the night. He was wearing a white shirt and jeans, a leather jacket hanging on his shoulders. His necklace gleamed eerily in the nighttime glow.

Natsu stood a few feet away from him, similarly dressed in a leather jacket and a red shirt. He had abandoned his scarf for the sake of stealth. Well, abandoned wasn't the correct word. More like carefully placed in his closet after Gray wouldn't stop nagging him. His fingerless gloves were ever present and so was the earring.

 _Oh my god, since when did Natsu look so bad ass?_ He realised. Nastu had a deadly expression on his face as he relayed the events of Lucy's disappearance to Makarov. He looked surprisingly calm and collected and ready to beat someone up. _Hard._

"Master doesn't approve." Nastu said, hang up. "But he ain't gonna stop us either."

Gray exhaled a sigh of relief. He wanted to save Lucy just as much as Natsu. Okay, maybe _not as much as Natsu_ , but he did care for the blonde. Just then his phone rang.

"You got the addresses?" Gray greeted him with a smirk.

"Yup. Meet me by the bus station in fifteen."

-/-

Loke had managed to gather a list of warehouses that were connected to Phantom Lord. Worst case scenario was that Lucy was being kept hostage at Courage Academy like Levy, which Mirajane found out due to her amazing tracking skills. Actually, she got Bickslow to pinpoint the location of the last text received on Levy's phone which was ' _I'm waiting for you. You can't escape me again. Signed Kurogane_ '

They had scoured at least five of them but they were empty. The next closet one was near the port, at least twenty minutes away from where they were.

Loke checked his watch with a grimace. "It's seven twenty four." He said. "If she's not here, then we'll have to go back to the Guild. I think she's being kept hostage at the Academy with Levy."

"I don't think so." Gray said. "They're sneaky that way. Jose would've separated them. They'd make sure if we found one, the other won't be there." He glanced at Natsu. "What do you think?"

"There's no need to think." He answered shortly. "Are we gonna search the place or not?"

Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Gray resisted the urge to smirk. _Someone was so frickin whipped..._

-/-

"Stupid, stupid Lucy!" Natsu muttered. "What part of staying safe does she not get?" Then again he was plunging headfirst into enemy territory too. The reality of the situation dawned on him. Nastu cracked his knuckles, mentally preparing himself for a fight. Or two.

Gray and Loke were walking a few feet ahead of him. They were instantly let through after Loke had an intense discussion with the guards and showed them his ID. The rest of the port was more or less deserted at that time of the day.

As they stood on the pier, Loke pointed at a cruise ship some way off. "That belongs to Jose himself." He explained. "Either Lucy's there or at that warehouse. Which one do you guys pick first." He said, gesturing to a row of buildings in the opposite direction.

Natsu placed a hand against his mouth, already feeling nauseous. "I'll check the warehouse. You guys go on ahead."

Gray rolled his eyes. "We're not even on the boat yet, enough with the motion sickness, Pyro."

"Shut up, Stripper." He scowled. And with that Natsu ran off, as far as possible from the running waters that made his insides churn.

-/-

 _Who ever invented chloroform was a bastard_. That was the first thought that ran through Lucy's mind when she came too. Her vision was slightly fuzzy and distorted. Her hand were restrained to the chair she was sitting on, and so were her feet.

Her memory was slightly blurred. She had been out in her gallery when - Her eyes widened. _Some one had ambushed her!_ Her eyes darted around the dark room.

"Where am I?" She croaked. She could barely see anything. Suddenly she heard a snip, and the rope around her legs fell loose. Another snip, and her hand were free as well. Then, some one grabbed her wrists and hoisted her up, tying her hands behind her back.

They lights came on and a man came into view. His dark hair was gathered in a ponytail and his face was twisted into a malicious smirk. "Ah, Lucy Heartfilia!" He exclaimed. "I can't wait to see how much you'll fetch me. Daddy's little girl are you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucy cried. "Let me go now!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, dear." He replied in an oily voice. "With you as my hostage, your father will have no choice but to pay the ransom!" He rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Drugging those stupid bodyguards of yours wasn't too difficult either and then you walked straight into our trap. You made my job _so_ much easier!"

"What did you do to Taurus and Sagittarius?" Lucy asked, her voice deadly.

"Taurus? Sagittarius? Fancy names for such foolish oafs!" He goaded her. "It was almost too easy. Juvia had been slipping in sleeping serum in their food every night for the past week. So last night, they were _so_ used to the effects, they wouldn't have woken up if you screamed in their ears!" _Keep him talking._ Lucy convinced herself. _Stall as much as you can._

"Juvia? Whose Juvia?"

"She's one of the Element Four." He told her. "Along with Totomaru, Aria and Sol."

"Element Four?" Lucy asked innocently. "Who are they?"

"They're my strongest!" He boasted, falling into her trap. "They're like the backbone of my ring! And I like to call Gajeel my fists." He laughed suddenly, sounding like pieces of metal scraping against each other. "He's powerful alright! Almost too powerful!" He muttered in an undertone.

He suddenly leaned close to Lucy, who caught a whiff of alcohol on his breath. _Her kidnapper was drunk! What were the odds?_

"Can I tell you a secret?" He rasped. "I don't like that boy."

Lucy's scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, but nodded to keep him going.

"He's Metalicana's kid after all. One day he might want to stand up against me!" He said angrily. "Luckily that day will never come." He suddenly smiled evilly. "I keep telling him this is his last mission, he never understood the full meaning of that though. That boy will be trouble! Trouble, I tell you! Fortunately, he's also rather foolish. Not to mention trusting. Unlike his father..." He ranted.

Lucy couldn't believe it. This guy was talking about his own disciple, planing to kill him off just because he was afraid of him? _Talk about underhand and sneaky._

"As soon as I get that money from your father, I'll get rid of Gajeel." He said. "You'll like that won't you? After all, it's his doing that your here in the first place..." His hand curved around her chin, as if admiring her face.

Lucy scowled, struggling against her restraints, as she dropped the facade. Her captor didn't notice. He had pulled out a silver flask from his pocket, which he began to slowly sip.

Her eyes fell on the unnecessarily large window in front of her. No doubt the door behind her was locked. She glanced down, thankful she had worn decent pyjamas to bed. She was wearing a lilac full sleeved top and matching bottoms. No cleavage what-so-ever, she thanked the gods.

"Can't you just let me go?" She asked politely. Lucy had enough experience with kidnappers to know that politeness never worked. But it was worth a shot anyways.

"I'm sorry. You're staying here for a while." The weirdo replied, not sounding the least bit sorry.

"Okay, but can I at least use the bathroom?" She asked innocently.

The guy kicked a bucket her way. "Go ahead." He said lazily, pocketing the flask.

Lucy made an 'oh well' expression. "Fine! But you can at least look away?"

He looked astounded, as if expecting her to shriek or blush. "I - uh." He turned around, flustered. Lucy rolled her eyes, bracing herself as she stood up and kicked him where the sun-doesn't-shine. He yelped, his eyes wide. He turned to her, anger flaring up in his eyes, and Lucy took the opportunity to kick him there again. _Honestly some people could be so dumb sometimes..._

He doubled up in pain and Lucy swung her tied hands over his head, slamming her fists into his skull. He fell over, unconscious.

Lucy looked around the room, adrenaline rushing through her veins. She managed to pull open the window. The door, her only other exit, had been bolted from outside, though that didn't explain how her kidnapper had been inside with her. _Meh, they're all weirdos here anyways..._

She craned her neck, catching sight of something pink running toward the warehouse. Hope surged through her mind. "Natsu!" She cried, trying to a catch his attention. "NASTU!"

He glanced upwards in her direction, running down the street as fast as he could. "Lucy!" He cried out in relief as he came to a halt. "JUMP!"

Lucy eyes widened. She was in the third or fourth floor of the building. She shook her head. There was no way she could make it...

"Lucy!" He yelled again. "Trust me! Jump!"

Lucy glanced back at her captor, who was slowly stirring. She had gotten lucky and had managed to knock him unconscious. If he came to, she would lose her only chance of escape. And then - Lucy didn't even wanna think about that.

She hesitantly placed one foot in the ledge, her tied hands making it difficult to balance herself. She hoisted herself up, glancing down at Natsu, who was waiting expectantly.

And then she jumped.

-/-

Well, she would have but then she caught sight of two men behind Natsu, planning to jump him. "Behind you!" She yelled.

Nastu glanced back, barely dodging the guy's fists. Lucy turned away to Jose, who was clutching his head, slowly opening his eyes. She turned back to Natsu, who was beating up the other two. "Uh, could you hurry it up?" She called out.

He glanced up, irritated. " _What do you think I'm doing?_

Lucy grinned sheepishly. "You mind doing it faster? Cause I've gotta jump! It's like, now or never." She cried. "And I _really_ don't wanna think about the 'never' part!"

Nastu glanced up again as he knocked one guy off his feet. He was now several feet away from where Lucy would fall. _I wouldn't be able to catch her if she jumped now._ He realised grimly. "Wait!" He called up. Lucy shook her head, Jose was hauling himself up as she did.

"Natsu if you don't catch me, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" She yelled. Nastu glanced up, afraid, as he kicked the other one unconscious. And then she jumped.

Natsu took a running leap, diving down to clasp her in his arms. He felt her fall on top of him, in a flurry of dust and wind. The impact caused a sharp pain in his ribs. Natsu held back a groan. That would definitely bruise tomorrow...

Lucy opened her eyes, shocked. "That was by far, the _stupidest_ thing I have _ever_ done!" She exclaimed.

Natsu grinned weakly. "You're, uh, kinda crushing me now." Her eyes widened as she scrambled off him.

The two slowly got up, brushing dirt off their clothes. Well, Lucy tried but it was kinda difficult since her hands were tied. Natsu untied the ropes, rolling his eyes. "You could've waited before you jumped!" He said indignantly.

"But my kidnapper would've caught me by then!" Lucy protested. "And how did you even find me?"

"Jeez, grateful much?" Nastu scoffed, crossing his arms. "Loke made Gray and I check all the places he knew of. He's got _connections_ everywhere."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean, _Loke made you?_ That you wouldn't have bothered -"

"Woah, woah!" Nastu raised his hands in defence. "I meant Loke made us check _everywhere._ And he wasn't the only one looking for you." He replied, frustrated. "And we wouldn't have even known you were kidnapped if I hadn't heard you screaming in your balcony!"

Lucy's eyes widened. "You - you heard me?"

"Duh! You were so freaking loud " He said. "And then when I searched your apartment, you weren't there. And you went in the balcony, didn't you?" He scolded her. "Even after I told you to lock the doors! Stupid much?"

Two bright spots of anger appeared on her cheeks and Lucy unintentionally pouted. "I am _not_ stupid! I couldn't sleep, it's not my fault some guy wanted to _kidnap_ me!" She said sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah!" Natsu realised guilty. "You were kidnapped. Why were you kidnapped?"

"Because of my father, Mr. I-Don't-Give-A-Damn!" Lucy spat, glaring at him.

"Hey, I was worried!" Natsu protested. "And don't call me that, I did care-"

Lucy cut him off with a gasp as a gloved hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist. Two hooded men stepped out of the shadows, raising their fists at Natsu, as the third dragged Lucy back.

As the two striked Natsu, they were blocked by Gray and Loke. Their search in the ship had only caused in wanted attention, and the two had fled.

"Two against one is hardly fair." Loke said, smirking as his glasses flashed.

"Natsu, go after the Lucy!" Gray ordered. Natsu nodded, leaving the two to battle it out. The third guy was running away with Lucy over his shoulder, but it was pretty difficult since she kept hammering fists on his head, trying to distract him.

Nastu turned away from the guy, ducking into a small alley. He ran forward, intercepting him with a punch. The guy toppled back and Lucy jumped off him. He reached for her again, except Natsu aimed for his head next, using a nearby rod to knock him out.

Lucy's eyes were widened with shock, she was breathing heavily, her heartbeat erratic. The reality of the situation seemed to sink in. _Some one had tried to kidnap her. Twice._

She choked back a sob, biting her lip. Warm hands encased her body, pulling her flush against him. Lucy closed her eyes, leaning into him. She didn't feel like crying anymore. She didn't feel anything. Lucy only wanted warmth for now. She breathed deeply, inhaling his campfire scent as a small sigh left her mouth. Her lips curved into a smile. _He smells like home. Not my home. But home nonetheless._

-/-

"Uh, I'd hate to interrupt, but I'm sure those guys called in for reinforcements." Gray said, scratching his head nervously.

Natsu opened his eyes, scowling. "Why is it aways _you_?" He growled.

Lucy broke away from him, blushing. "I - uh."

"I called Gramps. Macao is coming to get us so he says to stay put." Loke said, walking into the alley. "He was really surprised that we found Lucy. He thought she'd be with Levy."

"He kidnapped me for ransom." Lucy told them, her voice cold. "He wanted nothing more than to be powerful. He said he was going to kill his own disciple because the guy was too strong."

"Are you talking about Jose?" Nastu asked curiously. "Why would he tell you that?"

"He was drunk." Lucy replied. "And overconfident."

"I forgot to ask. How did you even escape?" Gray asked, as they began walking to the port's entrance.

"Lucy Kick." She answered, a small smirk playing in her lips.

Beside her, Natsu shuddered. "Poor guy. He won't ever think about kidnapping you again."

-/-

Lucy pulled Natsu's jacket the tighter across her shoulders, but the cold morning air continued to sneak in.

Two minutes later, Macao showed up. Nastu got in first beside him, dropping off to sleep almost instantly. Lucy followed Gray and Loke into the backseat of the jeep, sighing gratefully in the heated environment. As the two told Macao everything, Lucy dozed off, exhausted.

Sometime later, they reached the Guild and were ushered up to the third floor, where Mira and Elfman lived.

Mira opened the door, a small smile on her exhausted face. Behind her, Erza was napping on the couch, a blanket draped over her. Laxus and Freed were drinking coffee in the kitchen, just as tired out. Master Makarov silently sat on an armchair, deep in thought.

At there arrival, he sprang out of his chair and hurried over to them demanding they explain. All four of them sat down on the rug, drinking hot chocolate as they one by one told him their side of the story.

When Lucy reached the part about Jose, a dark shadow crossed his face, but he made no intention to stop her. Natsu continued after that, telling them about how she jumped out of the building. This was the first time Gray and Loke were hearing of it as well, and looked shellshocked.

Mira's brother, Elfman, had been standing in the doorway quietly listening. At that point, he burst out laughing. "Jumping out of a window? Now that's MANLY!" He encouraged her. All around her, everyone else starting laughing, the atmosphere of the room turing a great deal lighter. Lucy giggled along with them, for the first time in hours, feeling safe.

-/-

When the clock struck six, Mira snapped into action. She shook Lucy awake, who has been lightly dozing on Natsu's shoulder. She herded the girl into her room and demanded she take a shower. Mira handed her a shimmery black bag, much like the one she had received her cheerleading uniform in.

"Your new gear!" Mira said with a smirk as she flounced off. Lucy stared at it for few seconds before shrugging and walking into the bathroom. _Eh, what's the worst it could be?_ She thought to herself.

Mirajane, on the other hand, took the task of waking up Laxus and Freed. The green haired man blinked slowly as he came too before apologising profusely for falling asleep. Mira waved him off, directing him to Elfman's room for a shower.

She gently shook Laxus, bracing herself. The blonde was slumped over the table, drooling slightly. Mira shook him harder. "Laxus!" She whisper-shouted, not wanting to wake the others. "Laxus, wake up!"

"Five minutes..." He mumbled in his sleep. Mira glanced at the clock worriedly. It was six thirty seven. She really didn't have time for this. "LAXUS!" She tried again.

He only shook his head, stubbornly keeping his eyes closed. Mira scowled, reaching for a glass on the counter. She marched up to her fridge, pouring cold water into it before coming back to Laxus. For a moment she paused, admiring the innocence on his unguarded face. He looked peaceful and relaxed. Mira bit her lip hesitating. _He must be exhausted_ , she reasoned. _I really should let him rest._

 _No, Mira. As adorable as he might be, you have a job to do. Master's counting on you!_ She sighed, before mumbling a 'sorry' and tipping the glass on his head. Laxus woke up with a yell, water falling out of his hair as he turned to glare at Mira.

Mirajane had never been more grateful that the people in her living room were deep sleepers. She glanced at Laxus, who was angrily cursing the air blue.

He stared at her, scowling. "I hate you." He mumbled childishly, raking his hand through his wet hair.

"Love you too!" Mira replied cheerfully, leaning close to kiss his cheek. "Get dressed. I've designed your uniform, remember? I can't wait to see you in it!"

Laxus's eyes widened in fright. "What do you mean, babe? _What was Gramps thinking_?" He muttered in an undertone.

Mira's eyes turned steely. She cocked her head to one side innocently. "Did you say something, Laxus?" She asked, her voice sickly sweet.

He gulped. "Uh, no?"

She smiled wider. "Good. Keep it that way."

-/-

 _I have to call dad as soon as I reach home,_ Lucy thought to herself in the shower. _I don't care if he has a meeting or a business deal. I almost got kidnapped!_

She reached for Mirajane's lemon scented shampoo, squeezing out too much in her haste. "But then, he'll blame Taurus and the rest." She muttered out loud, vigorously massaging her scalp. "It's not their fault they were drugged." She bit her lip.

"I have to tell him though. But what if he decides Magnolia isn't safe for me anymore?" Her eyes turned downcast. "The deal was that I could live alone as long as the Spirits were looking after me. But - but now..." She trailed off.

The Spirits were part of her father's elite staff from the Manor. Virgo, her housekeeper kept their apartment neat and clean and was usually finished with her work by the time Lucy get home. Lucy missed the maid's eccentric behaviour but there was nothing she could do. Virgo had other duties to fulfil as well. Taurus and Scorpio patrolled her apartment boundaries and even they didn't tell her, Lucy was sure they followed her to school and monitored her there as well. Sagittarius was usually situated either on the roof top, or in a tree with his rifle. He wasn't one of the world's best snipers for nothing...

Capricorn, was of course, working with her dad. But her dad's real secret weapon were the Gemini twins. They were masters of stealth and disguise. It was their responsibility to make sure that no one dared to sabotage her father _and_ exactly what people thought of him - allies and enemies, both.

Cancer was her hairstylist and fashion designer rolled into one, as eccentric and intuitive about the trends as they come. Aries was her father's secretary, in charge of handling day to day schedule and publicity. But the most scary one? That was Aquarius, a long time friend of Layla's, who acted as fitness trainer and etiquette coach for Lucy.

Since she had moved to Magnolia, most of the Spirits had either went with her father or had gone on well deserved vacations. Except Virgo, of course.

Lucy washed the soap suds out of her hair, relaxing under the gentle spray of water. She held out her hands in front of her face. "I hit him." She said out loud. "I punched him. I kicked him. And," she glanced at her reflection in the glass wall of the shower box. "I didn't even hesitate."

A memory of her peace-loving mother flashed by. "There's no need to be violent, Lucy." She said, smiling gently, kindness flashing in her eyes.

"But I wasn't violent." Lucy reasoned. "It was in self defence. And if it it ever happened to me again," she held her head high determinedly. "I would gladly do it one more time!"

She thought back to Natsu, Gray and Loke who seemed to knock people out without batting an eyelash. They didn't hesitate to hurt someone. The need to protect what they believed in. Lucy had seen it today. The way Nastu didn't seem to tire out, how despite how serious things got, they all remained calm and cheerful. _It's because they grew up together, they fought together, laughed together. They fell together as well. They were never alone, and no matter what happened, they would never abandon one another. That's strength. And - and I don't have have it._

 _"You keep forgetting you're not them anymore, Luce."_ Lucy's eyes widened. Those words played back in her head, like a warning, or maybe even a reminder.

 _"It's just, you're in Fairy Tail now. An' you're not just a student of Fairy Academy. You're like, part of our family. I remember when I first came here. Gramps was like, 'you're one of us now'. I think I get what he meant by that. Fairy Tail protects you, and you protect it too. Like tomorrow. You hafta do your best, got it, Luce? You gotta, cause our reputation's on the line here, kay?"_

"I am." Lucy whispered to herself. "I'm a part of Fairy Tail. I have to do my best! I have to protect Fairy Tail! Just like it protected me today!"

-/-

Her new clothes were very preppy. Lucy remembered Mira showing off the earlier designs of their cheerleading uniforms. These were similar to that. "Wait, does that mean we're going ahead with the Festival?" She realised.

It was a dress. White in colour. Strapless and about mid-thigh. The bodice was very fitted and it's back was blue. The royal blue colour edged out towards the front in narrow spikes on the side. Two thin columns separated the bodice into three sections.

The dress fluffed out at the waist, with three identical ruffles. Attached above her elbows were it's sleeves. The also had three white ruffles and a royal blue ribbon at the top. The edges of the sleeves fell past her wrists. Lucy hesitantly tied a single blue ribbon around her neck, like a choker. In addition were thigh high with socks and sneakers. It wasn't that she wasn't used to wearing tight fitting clothes, but there was something about the dress that radiated power and possibility. It was as if Mirajane had sewn her very essence into the clothes.

Lucy combed out her damp hair behind her back before throwing open the door and stepping back into Mira's room. And, coincidentally, bumping into someone. "Ow! Watch where you're going!" She snapped, rubbing her head.

"Why don't you give it a try?" Nastu asked her with a smirk. "Honestly, you take ages in the bathroom."

"Well, I'd like to see you try to wear something like this!" Lucy scowled at him, crossing her arms against her chest. Natsu glanced down at her clothes as if he was only just seeing them. He glanced back up to her, gaining eye contact with the blonde. His eyes were wide, as if he'd just made an astonishing discovery. His hand suddenly brushed against her cheek and Lucy flushed at the sudden contact. It felt like he was transmitting heat into her veins.

"Blue suits you." He remarked, before hurriedly darting into the bathroom.

Lucy stood there shocked, her hand reaching up to her cheek unconsciously. Her mind jolted to a few hours earlier. "It felt like _home._ " She repeated, the words tasting like honey in her mouth.

 **Hey guys, sorry for late update. FF wasby letting me login yesterday. Short chapter buy my tests are next week so bear with me... Review!**


	6. Chapter 6 - The Way Of The Ninja

Chapter 6 - The Way Of The Ninja

Lucy felt like she was going out for battle. No kidding.

The Guild was still locked up from the inside even though it was gone seven, the usual time it opened up to serve breakfast. All the chairs had been placed on the tables, and the tables had been shoved to the corners of the cafe. They were on the first floor, so that no passer-by would find out that they were all grouped inside, plotting. Especially if that passer-by happened to be a spy for Phantom Lord.

On the table in the centre, Master Makarov was standing proudly, large blueprints of Courage Academy in his hands. Where did he get them? Lucy had no idea. All the Fairy Tail students were gathered there, but the air was unusually subdued and serious. Even Cana had set down her flask, and was helping Mirajane in equipping them.

They all had been categorised into units. The cheerleaders stood in one corner, the athletes in another. The non participants stood to one side, while whom Lucy had dubbed as the "hackers" a.k.a Bickslow and Alzack were seated against the wall on the floor. They both had their laptops on their knees with cables connecting them to each other, and to Levy's phone. Large headphones were placed on their heads. Alzack was repeatedly listening to Gajeel's few calls to Levy in search for clues, while Bickslow claimed he couldn't concentrate with the noise, and blasted loud music in his ears as a distraction.

"Your turn, Lucy." Mira called out, beckoning her. Lucy gulped, hesitantly walking over to where the sliver haired cheerleader stood with Cana. "Now stand still, alright?" She reminded her as she got to work. A tiny ear piece was placed in her ear, hidden by her blonde bangs. They rest of her hair had been styled into two low ponytails on either side of her head. Mira attached a tiny mouthpiece to the ribbon around her neck, just under the bow.

"So, you want any weapons?" Cana asked, holding out a brown bag. Lucy peered inside. Amongst the sharp knives, tranquilliser guns and smoke bombs was a tightly coiled whip. Lucy reached for it, feeling antsy.

"I haven't used a whip for two years." She whispered to herself, twirling it around her fingers.

"Whoa girl, kinky choice!" Cana joked. "But seriously, you can use a whip?" She asked surprised.

Lucy nodded shyly. "My dad thought it would be important for self defence, so he had Virgo teach me." At Cana's questioning look she added. "Virgo's my maid."

"Wait a minute, your _maid_ taught how how to use a whip?" Cana asked, laughing.

Lucy bit her lip to keep from giggling. It sounded weird when you put it like _that._ She felt something cool against her forearm as Mira wrapped a band around it and fixed a thin tranquilliser gun to it. Her whip was coiled around her left thigh, hidden under her skirts. Lucy smirked as Mira moved on. She really felt equipped for war.

And Lucy wasn't the only one. Under their track suits, both Natsu and Gray were just as heavily equipped. They all carried guns, except instead of bullets, they fired paralysis and tranquilliser darts. Gray had revealed to her that this wasn't Fairy Tail's fists rescue mission. Most of them wanted to keep Lucy at the side lines, since she had been kidnapped this morning, and didn't have proper training, but Lucy had insisted. She had to save Levy.

"Everyone, listen up!" Macao called out. All the students gathered around Master, who held up the large blueprints for them to see.

"For years, Phantom Lord has tried to hurt us, using Courage Academy as a front. Now, we all need to formulate a plan to get rid of them once and for all!" Master announced.

"Twice Jose has tried to harm my children, and he almost succeeded with Levy. Fear not, for we _will_ get her back. Not only that, but we will put an end to Phantom Lord by exposing and finally ending their cruel ways!"

Cheers of approval rang out.

"But why now?" Gray voiced out. "Phantom has been plaguing us for years. Why are we ending them _now_?"

"All these years, we have been gathering proof. Fairy Tail is more than an orphanage program, and you all know that. We can go where the police can't, which is why we collaborate with them on cases like this."

"Phantom Lord places all its drug dealing transactions on their hard drives before transferring them to even more carefully protected files. Due to all the kidnappings and ambushes, not to mention the Festival, all that information in still on a physical hard drive according to Bickslow and Alzack."

Lucy turned to where the two "hackers" were typing on their laptops. _They figured out all that in a few hours? Wow, colour me impressed._

"You all have two missions. First, to save Levy under any cost. Second, to retrieve the hard drive. Upon completing any one, we will have enough proof to have the police barge in there and arrest Jose. Either a witness or valuable data. Mirajane, please read out the plans."

Mira nodded, holding up a clipboard. "After the opening ceremony, Lucy will fall down, hurting her knees. Bisca and Laki will help her to the infirmary along with Natsu. Once inside Bisca and Laki will stay there in the infirmary keeping guard, while the other two will scour the ground floor for Levy. You will have half an hour to do this. Avoid any fights or disturbances." Lucy's eyes widened.

"You're letting me go on the front lines?" She asked. "But you guys said I didn't have any experience -"

"Sometimes, conviction and bravery level over experience and skill." Master explained. "Show me your strength Lucy Heartfilia. Don't make me regret sending you out there!"

Lucy nodded, smiling in spite of herself as Mira continued with the rest of the plan.

-/-

Courage Academy was pretty impressive. Tall towers, iron gates and and vast expanses of grass everywhere. Barbed wire was looped around the metal boundary walls and cameras revolved on top of the spikes. It seemed more like a prison, if you asked Lucy.

The event began with speeches from both the principles. However, instead of Jose, his secretary took his place, claiming Jose was unwell. Lucy translated that to buzzed with an awful concussion, feeling unusually proud of herself. Then the Courage cheerleading team performed for the opening ceremony. They went first because it was on their home turf this time.

Lucy wrinkled her nose in distaste as six tall and skinny scantily dressed girls walked to the centre of the field. They were wearing silver and purple skirts with matching tops and pom-poms. Their hair was pulled up into high ponytails and they wore ridiculous amounts of makeup. Bouncy pop music filled the stadium as the girls got into formation. Throughout their routine, five of the cheerleaders kept copying the blonde girl in the centre, who was obviously their captain.

"Tch... Stella still hasn't balanced her jumps!" Mirajane said, pointing to the blonde. "See, Lucy? That's why I train you girls so much!" She teased. Lucy feigned annoyance, rolling her eyes despite her smile.

"Are you saying these girls aren't good?" Lisa asked surprised. "Even I can't make that jump!" She pointed to the brunette who was preparing to jump on top of the human pyramid.

"Soon you will." Mira soothed her. "And her stance is way off. That girl can't make it either..." True to her words the girl didn't make the jump but managed to cling on and climb on top, and stand proudly despite her wobbling. The Courage kids cheered as their routine ended and the girls walked off blaming the brunette for messing up their performance.

"It's our turn." Evergreen said. "Let's go."

Lucy realised they must have looked different from the other cheerleaders to all the spectators. All six of them were wearing the same kind of dress, but while Lucy's was blue, Mira's was hot pink, Bisca's red and Evergreen's was obviously forest green. Lisa had purple in her dress while Michelle's was orange.

They girls got into formation as the music started.

 _'_ _Fairy Tail, What is the light held in this hand?_ _'_

Lucy smirked as she started off with a high jump. Apparently Fairy Tail even had a song about itself. The Courage kids looked shocked and so did the secretary. Clearly they were expecting a lacklustre performance. _Oh puhlease as if they can tell us what to do._ Lucy thought confidently.

 _'_ _The utopia drawn in your dream, don't let it end as one._ _'_

They girls pumped their pom-poms in the air, singing along as they twirled, kicked and twisted to the music. From where she stood, Lucy could see Jose's blood shot eyes peeking out of the curtains in his office on the top floor. His eyes landed on her and he looked stricken. Lucy added an extra bounce in her step, as if sending a silent message to him. _You can't hurt me! You can't hurt us!_

 _'_ _There's something I want to tell my future self, who someday I'll meet._

 _Sometimes the future is cruel, and can crack like a mirror._ _'_

Once her performance would have ended, Lucy knew she had to act fast. She wondered what Levy was feeling. All alone, maybe tied up like Lucy, being tortured mentally or physically. Was she hurt? Lucy tried to imagine Gajeel harassing her like he had with Levy. Messaging her, stalking her. And why? Simply because she was an easy target? Just because she studied in Fairy Academy? What would a gang want with a student? Did the rivalry between the schools run so deep or was it something else entirely?

 _'_ _But we will be fine if we find it like no fragments were lost._ _'_

Lucy braced herself as she jumped on Evergreen's shoulders, waving her pom-poms excitedly. Evergreen twirled and performed the splits. Lucy jumped off, performing three cartwheels in sync with the other cheerleaders.

 _'_ _Even if the frozen darkness stands in our path,_

 _We must never forget hope._ _'_

Levy wasn't the only reason Lucy had insisted to go on the front lines. What had happened with Jet and Droy had shook her to the core. They were almost dead on their feet. Luckily they had been rushed to the hospital where Laxus, Macao and Wakaba were standing guard as of now. Droy had a concussion but he was no longer in coma. His ribs were cracked as well and he had several bruises and gashes. Jet was no different except his wrist was sprained badly and he had a high fever. He had told Master everything. When Master recounted the events to the rest of them, Lucy hadn't even realised when the tears started to roll off her face and had quickly wiped them off, ashamed. Erza, standing beside her had given her an encouraging nod and told her to avenge them. Lucy swore she would.

 _'_ _Fairy Tail, what is the light held in this hand?_

 _Because we're overflowing with the power of bond_ _s.'_

They had been walking to the Academy when Levy's eyes suddenly widened. She gasped, before running down the street into an alley. But the time Jet and Droy caught up to her, she was curled up beside the dumpster softly crying. They asked her what was wrong but she didn't reply. Then they pounced.

The Element Four was powerful. Aria and Sol took in Jet, while Totmaru began beating up Droy. Assisting him was a girl called Juvia. She slipped up behind him, hitting him when he least expected it. Gajeel stood in one corner, watching them, a bored expression on his face. Jet and Droy were both lying on the ground, defeated, when he walked past them to Levy, crouching down beside her. His hand curled around her chin and he whispered something to her. He stood up, offering her a hand.

Levy didn't answer so he forcefully pulled her up. He said more things, mocking her. Jet and Droy struggled, but moving felt like agony. There was nothing they could do. Levy tried to run, but the Element Four were guarding the exit of the alley. Gajeel pressed a wad of chloroform against her face and she fell limp in his arms.

 _'_ _We all know about the sorrowful tears,_

 _So don't ever surrender, don't ever sway_ _.'_

Lucy knew what had happened next. Gajeel and the rest had come after her, kidnapping her much the same way. Except Natsu, Gray and Loke had managed to track her down and rescue her. Then why was Levy kept guarded in the Academy? Lucy knew she hadn't been kidnapped due to the rivalry. She was simply a rich girl according to Jose. A way to make money. For him, Christmas had come early. He was greedy man and that was all he wanted of her. He had gone through all of that trouble to hold her hostage for ransom. That's it.

Lucy's whip felt cool against her thigh. _I'll get you back, Levy, I promise. I'll avenge you Jet and Droy, I will! I will protect you Fairy Tail, I swear! I have to!_ Lisa, Michelle and Bisca stood shoulder to shoulder, in formation. Lucy readied her self, before jumping onto their shoulders, beside Evergreen. Mira jumped on top, completing the pyramid which the Courage cheerleaders couldn't, standing confidently on top. _In the end, our bonds make bring us closer,_ Lucy realised. _And that's the biggest difference between Fairy Tail and it's enemies. They always underestimate us._

 _'_ _That's right, until we arrive to the dream we saw that day._ _'_

The music ended as applause rang out. Mira jumped off them, followed by Evergreen, while Lucy wobbled slightly, before toppling off the pyramid, a shriek leaving her lips.

-/-

"God Lucy, you can be really clumsy sometimes!" Nastu exclaimed, adjusting the blonde girl in his arms lightly. "Not to mention heavy. Ow! What the hell was that for?"

The blonde girl who had smacked his head hard, glaring at him. She would've crossed her arms across her chest for better effect, but if she moved she was certain she would fall off the pinkette. "You do not call a girl fat!" She scolded him. "You can put me down now, I'm not really injured." She reminded him, smirking she reminisced her stellar performance on the field today.

"Sorry! Blame me for telling the truth..." He muttered.

Lucy smacked him again.

"Oi, Lucy!" Laki called out to them, her purple ponytail bouncing at she waved her arms. "The area up ahead seems clear, you guys can check it out now."

"But you better be quick." Bisca added, glancing at the wall clock. "And be careful! There are cameras _everywhere._ I just got off the phone with Alzack. He's hacked past the firewalls to block the video footage temporarily, so you guys should hurry!"

Nastu and Lucy nodded, their footsteps echoing down the hallways. As they walked past classroom after classroom undisturbed, the nervous pit in Lucy's stomach shrank. Natsu made no attempt to be inconspicuous, going as far as to whistle cheerfully until Lucy elbowed him in the gut. Hard.

So far all the rooms were empty, and according to Freed and Bickslow who were acting as the little voices in her head, there wasn't much ahead of them. "There's just a cafeteria up ahead." Freed confirmed in her earpiece. "I doubt they're keeping Levy hostage there."

"We should check though." Lucy said half heartedly. She turned to Natsu, who had been unnaturally quiet during the exchange. "Come on. The cafeteria is close by."

His eyes widened greedily. "Food?"

Lucy's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "We're searching for Levy remember?"

"Yeah, I know." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "But I wanna beat up Gajeel and those jerks!" He announced loudly, slamming his fist into his palm excitedly.

"Ugh, what part of stealth do you not get?" Lucy asked angrily, hands on her waist as they stood in the doorway of the cafeteria.

"Oh please! I'm _all about stealth!_ " He said proudly, wrapping his scaly white scarf around his mouth and covering his head. "See, I'm a ninja! Nin, nin!" He held his hands up Kung Fu Panda style. "Nin, nin!"

Lucy was about to yell at him for being so immature when a voice rang out. It was monotone and dull, as if the person felt life itself was too tedious. "You two do realise you're trespassing right?" A boy asked them, arms crossed over his chest, his face hidden in the shadows.

Nastu looked defiant. "And just who the hell are you?"

"You've got some sass for a clown." The boy said, smirking. "You're one of those Fairies aren't you? You really shouldn't mess with someone like me!"

In the next ten seconds, Lucy saw a rapid chain of events, which she almost wasn't able to keep up with. Firstly, the boy lunged for Natsu, aiming directly for pinkette's face. Just then, Natsu moved swiftly, almost at an unimaginable speed and neatly dodged the other boy.

Out of the shadows, Lucy got to see exactly what the other guy looked like. He had black hair and black eyes, except his hair was pulled up into a spiky ponytail and half of it had been dyed white. Two narrow black lines ran across his face, like war paint. He was wearing a weird long black coat that brushed past his knees. It had purple lapels and edging, and was buttoned till his waist, while the rest of it revealed baggy black trousers which were tucked into dark red boots.

That very second, her earpiece crackled and Bisca's frantic voice sounded. "Lucy, you better hurry. The track team's turn is up next!"

"Lucy did you find anything yet?" Mira's impatient voice rang out at the same time. "We really need you guys back on the field."

Before she could reply, Lucy heard something of a war cry as three teenage boys ran in. Two of them lunged at Natsu who had been patiently dodging each of the other boys attacks, allowing him to get more and more infuriated. Now he turned around, kicking one in the gut and bashing his fist into the other's head. He turned back to his original target, fists readied, expression merciless. The other guy gulped.

"Lucy!" Mira and Bisca's yelled to her earpiece.

"Kinda in the middle of something!" Lucy snapped back impatiently.

The third boy aimed his fists at her, and Lucy instinctively ducked. She uncoiled her whip and in her hurry to spring back up again, accidentally wrapped it around her assaulter's legs. _Perfect!_ She thought as she pulled her whip, allowing the poor guy to fall flat on his face, knocking him out. She retracted her whip, feeing proud. Lucy glanced at Natsu, mouth falling wide open as he knocked out the other guy with a single punch.

"Heh, he didn't even see that coming!" He said, raising his hands in victory. He turned to her. "And that, Luigi, is the way of the ninja!"

" _Lucy! Natsu!_ Are you guys okay?" Bisca sounded worried now.

"We're fine. We didn't find anything though." Lucy replied, an amused smile on her face as she watched Natsu carefully wrap his scarf around his neck, petting it and crooning to it lovingly. He had insisted to go back for it, claiming he never went anywhere without his beloved scarf. Erza had tried to argue with him, but Natsu could be pretty damn stubborn sometimes and had snuck out, fetched it from his apartment, and snuck back in whilst Erza was swooning over her new uniform.

It was a red and white Japenese style robe with golden markings, designed to fit Erza perfectly and at the same time, guarantee Erza the maximum amount of speed and flexibility during her kendo matches. It was like love at first sight if you asked Lucy...

"Natsu!" She called out to him. "We need to hurry. It's almost your turn!"

"Woah, really?" He asked in disbelief. "Time sure passes quickly when you're having fun!" Natsu said with a smirk.

Lucy's mouth stood agape, her expression scandalised. " _Fun?_ That was fun?"

He reached out and shut her dangling jaw. "Hell yes it was. We're finally getting our revenge!"

Lucy slapped her palm against her forehead, hurrying down the hallways. Natsu easily caught up to her with a lazy jog. "He said his name was Totmaru." He said out of the blue.

Lucy concentrated on their path, not really paying attention to him. "Eh?"

"He said there was one of them on each floor, and even if you beat 'em all, we won't find what we're looking for."

"Huh? What did he mean by that?"

"I dunno. I guess they figured we were here to rescue Levy or something."

Lucy rubbed the goosebumps on her bare shoulders. "This sounds a little scary now. I mean, at least five guys have tried to jump me now. How am I even alive..."

"Oh come on. You're pretty handy with that whip -"

"You mean in the cafeteria? That was a fluke!"

"But you wouldn't have picked it if ya' didn't know how to use it, right?" He asked reasonably.

"Yeah, but that's just _training_!" Lucy sputtered. "This is real life. It may not -"

"Eh, what's the difference, Lucy?" He dismissed it nonchalantly. "Master knows you're good under pressure and he told me you've been in situations like this before. Is that true?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his eyes curious.

Lucy only shrugged, not wanting to elaborate. She didn't really like talking about her past. _At all_.

They reached the infirmary, the tense silence replaced by Laki's fussing about how late they were, while Bisca snapped into action, wrapping a bandage around Lucy's knee where she was 'supposedly' injured. Laki rushed off to warn the others about Totomaru's sort-of warning, while Bisca fixed up their scratches and redressed Natsu's bandage on his fist.

Lucy untangled her hair, styling it to a casual perfection like Mira had done. The three walked out of the school, trying to act casual. While the teachers were monitoring the games and the nurse was in the medical station outside, they had the bad luck of meeting two professors who glared at Lucy pointedly.

In the stadium, Gray was shaking hands with the opposing team captain, Fairy Academy's victory written cleanly on his face. Natsu went off to talk to his coach, since he was taking Jet's place in the team, while the substitute took his place. Lucy fake limped back to where they had set camp. Erza and Mira were in deep discussion and upon her arrival, sat her down next to them.

"Is this guy you and Natsu faced?" Erza asked, pointing to her laptop where Totomaru's face was plastered on the screen.

Lucy nodded. "Yup, that's Totomaru."

Mira and Erza groaned simultaneously.

"Ugh, he's from the Element Four..." Mira sighed.

"They're the ones who kidnapped Lucy and Levy!" Erza proclaimed angrily. "I will avenge their honour! Do not worry, Lucy. I will personally beat them up for you!" She promised.

Lucy looked stricken and smiled nervously, nodding her agreement with the redhead. "Oh sure. _I'm not worried at all..._ "

"Hmm, looks like it's Natsu's turn now." Master observed. "As for the Element Four, send Elfman up next."

He nodded to Mira's brother who was still pumped up from his wrestling match before. Lucy hadn't gotten a chance to see it, but according to Cana it was over before she finished her third bottle of beer. And she could demolish an entire barrel in minutes when she was up for it... Lucy glanced at Elfman. He was a senior too, almost nine months younger than Mira, her Irish twin actually. Except they looked nothing alike. Mira was tall, slender and curvaceous with creamy skin and a wide smile on her face all the time. Her brother was even taller, bulky and extremely tanned and looked like he could crush you flat. He had a serious expression and deep voice, the exact opposite of Mira's twinkly and bubbly attitude. While Mira had a terrifying inner demon, Elfman could be just about as sensitive as possible. Cana had narrated long stories about Elfman's caring and quiet nature. The animal loving boy who was always on the edge of tears, whose elder sister was always protecting him. But just like Mira had been a sarcastic, angst-driven teenager and was now a cheerful and sweet girl, Elfman's personality had taken a complete one-eighty with his past self only ever showing when Mira forced him to watch telenovelas with her on the weekends.

The boy - no, man - in question was sitting in one corner of the tent, lifting up dumbbells as though the real match was about to start for him. His silver hair was spiky with sweat and his dark blue eyes glared at the walls of the tent with furious intensity.

Mira clapped her hands to get their attention. "Elfman, you should get going. Cheerleaders, let head out now!"

"Aye! I'll beat them all up no problem!" Elfman said. "That is what a true _man_ does!" He got up, pounding his fists against his chest.

Master looked frightened. "Uh, Mirajane? It would probably be best for you to go as well. I - I'm sure the girls can handle themselves without you for a while. _I can't take anymore hospital bills if Elfman beats up the whole school again..._ " He muttered in an undertone.

Lucy gulped. _Just how strong was this guy?_

-/-

Mirajane glanced out of the large windows on the first floor, to where her cheerleaders were busy spurring on Fairy Academy. So far, they had been winning almost all of their matches. She watched as Erza walked up to the centre of the stadium, her robes fluttering in the wind as she took her position on the mat.

"Mira-nee! We're done over here." Elfman called out from one end of the room where he had been busy showing some boys who had tried to attack them just how powerful he was. "Let's get going."

Mira looked up worried. "Hmm? Oh yeah, we're almost done. No sign of Levy though..."

"Don't worry, sis." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "She'll be around her somewhere."

"Oh how touching! Are you normally this gentle with all your sisters?" A voice rang out, the French accent very much noticeable. The siblings turned to the door way, where an odd looking boy dressed in a purple suit staggered on his feet. A golden monocle glinted in the light.

The boy smiled, tilting his head to assess them."Oh, you must be Mirajane." He said. "You don't look all that deadly to me. And you must be the brother. Elfman, is that not so? The shy, weak, little boy always making a mess of everything. There should be one more, am I right?" He looked around as if someone else might pop in in the otherwise empty room.

"She had a rather nice name didn't she?" The boy continued. "Lisbeth? Lilliana? Oh, I can't seem to remember. Was it Layna, perhaps?"

The expression on Mirajane's face turned deadly. "It's Lisanna." She hissed through gritted teeth. "And you'd be wise to keep her out of this."

"Or else what? You'd run me over with a car?" He taunted her. "Oh wait, isn't that what happened to her?"

Elfman lunged for him, yelling in rage but then boy sidestepped him. "I'm right aren't I?" He persisted.

"Don't you dare take her name, you bastard!" Elfman roared, pulling the boy into a headlock.

The boy looked unconcerned. "Oh dear, oh dear. Did I hit a nerve?" He tittered. "Could it be that you still blame yourself?"

Mira's eyes widened. She reached for the tranquilliser gun on her thigh, pulling the safety off. She aimed for the boy, wanting to shut him up before he further hurt her little brother.

"Would you look at that." The boy observed, catching sight of her. "Your sister is still trying to protect you, even after all this time. You can't protect her though. You're still weak. You're scared. You haven't changed. You're nothing." He laughed mockingly.

Mira winced, placing her finger on the trigger. Elfman looked shocked, his grip in the boy loosening. The boy slipped away, as Mira fired the gun, the dart lodging itself into the wall behind him.

"See what I mean?" He goaded. " _You_ _screw up everything_."

Elfman was still as a statue. "L-Lisanna..." He muttered.

Meanwhile, the boy advanced towards Mira, pulling out a dagger from his suit pocket. He carefully unsheathed it, tossing the scabbard aside, allowing the metal to dangerously gleam in the sunlight that filtered in through the windows. Mira aimed again and fired, but the boy deflected it with his knife, allowing the serum to coat his dagger.

"Oh crap..." Mira muttered. "One strike and the tranquilliser sets in."

The boy lunged for her, Mira barely dodging his swift attacks. He struck her thigh and Mira gasped as blood gushed past the wound. She fell on her back, exhaustion of the previous night catching up to her. Her blood trickled in the floor as the boy loomed above her.

"One more hit and you're as good as dead." He said smiling.

"Oh please. I'm not dying." Mira hissed back. "Not today. Certainly not by someone like you." She spat.

He didn't reply, aiming his dagger for her head. Mira brought up her right hand, barely deflecting it it with her gun. She used her other hand to wrench the dagger from his grasp.

"I don't think so!" She said defiantly. "Elfman!"

Her brother snapped out of stupor, taking in the scene before him. "Mira-nee! You'll pay for this, you unmanly little twitch!" He cried.

Elfman pulled off his jacket, throwing it on the weird French guy. It landed on his face, obscuring his vision and distracting him long enough for Mira to crawl away to one corner. Elfman grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up to eye level with him.

"Never mess with my sister, you freak! Got it?" He hissed. The guy barely managed to nod under Elfman's tight grip, his chin trembling with fear.

Elfman tossed him into the wall without a thought, as if he weighed no more than a pillow. His body landed with a sickening thump. Elfman rushed to Mira's side, grabbing his jacket and ripping out the sleeve. He kneeled down and hastily tied the cloth around her thigh, trying to prevent the bleeding.

He let out a deep breath and dropped his head into her lap. "I-I failed you, sis." His voice was heavy with regret. "First with Lisanna, and now you. I j-just can't seem to p-protect either of you..."

His body heaved as he sobbed in his sister's lap. Mira smiled comfortingly, gently patting his head. "That's not true Elfman. Even now you beat up Sol so easily. You didn't let him unhinge you -"

"B-but Mira-nee, it's be-because of me that Lisanna -" His voice cracked. "They wanted to kill me. But she was in the way. I-I couldn't do anything. And now you're hurt -"

"Hush Elfman." Mira soothed him like she had the many sleepless after Lisanna's death. "It was never your fault that Lisanna died. Back then too, you were just trying desperately to protect us."

Elfman slowly sat up, his face ashen with tears and sorrow. "I was weak back then, sis." He said, his expression turning serious. "And I'm still weak now. I tried to become strong for you, but I'm just all muscle and no brains. And you know that. But that doesn't matter. It's who I am, and I have a duty to protect my sister. To ale sure she always smiling, never crying. And Lisanna? I won't let her sacrifice go in vain, sis. I promise you. "

"Oh, Elfman." Mira said, smiling gently. "You're not weak. You accept your faults and grow. You're so strong you don't even know it. Lisanna would be so proud of you."

The weight lessened of Elfman's shoulders and he smiled back. He got up and helped his sister stand. "She would be proud of you too, sis. She always wanted to become a cheerleader."

-/-

"So, how was your match?" Lucy asked Natsu as he walked in the tent, his shoulders slumped. He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he grabbed a bottle of water from the stand.

"We won." He announced sadly, taking a seat beside her. Lucy could literally _see_ the aura of depression leaking out of him.

"Isn't that a good thing?" She asked, confused.

Natsu turned to her, frustrated. "But it was so _boring._ Remember the guy we beat up in the cafeteria? Well, he was the captain and they wasted like twenty minutes just waiting for him, and then another ten searching for a sub."

"Wait, I thought that the competition rules were that if a member didn't show up then the team would be disqualified?"

Natsu rolled his eyes, huffing. "Exactly. But one of the guys on their team was muttering about the Phantom kids getting all the special treatment. I guess they're all sacred of the Environment Four. The rest of the team sucks, I kid you not. We were _finished_ with the relay by the time they were on their second lap. _And there were five laps, can you imagine?_ "

"You mean the _Element Four_?" She asked giggling inspite of herself.

Natsu only scowled, his aura of depression turning darker. "Doesn't matter."

Lucy raised her eyebrows at him, continuing to annoy her sulking friend. It took a lot to annoy the always cheerful Natsu Dragneel, and she wasn't going to pass up on this opportunity so easily. "Don't tell me you're mad cause you didn't get tough competition."

"Duh."

Lucy shook her head at his bluntness, glancing out to where Erza's match was going to begin soon. She couldn't wait to see the redhead in action.

"Bleach!" Natsu suddenly blurted out.

"Eh?"

"You should watch Bleach. It's so freaking amazing. Have you seen it?" He asked her.

Lucy nodded. "I watched the first episode a while back -"

"That's it?" He asked, looking scandalised. "But why?"

"I uh, didn't like it very much?"

"Are you out of you're mind? It's so awesome. I mean, I know the beginning's boring but it gets really good at the Soul Society arc. But the part it after episode two hundred -"

"Two hundred?" Lucy repeated. "Are you crazy? You want me to wait till two hundred episodes to decide it's awesome?"

"Obviously." He sulked, playing with the hem of his scarf. Lucy took a moment to appreciate Mira's eye for style. Natsu was wearing his track team uniform; black pants with red and gold stripes, and a red jersey with his last name in bright gold. His scarf hung around his neck, the collar of his jacket turned up. Mira had made sure the colours suited him and went with the school colours while the fitting was perfect to allow flexibility and agility.

"You have no taste. You're the kind of people who encourage things like SAO..." He muttered, shuddering.

"What's wrong with SAO?" Lucy asked angrily, raising her eyebrows. "I bet you haven't even watched it. Besides, who convinced you to watch Death Note? Huh, huh? And don't even get me started on Noragami -"

"Which is just like Bleach!" Natsu interjected.

Lucy growled. "Don't even go there." She hissed, her voice deadly.

Natsu had the sense to shut up. He had learned something new today. _Never insult Noragami in front of Lucy. Ever._

 **Okay, so the song the cheerleaders dance to is Opening 14 from** **Fairy Tail** **. All credits go to the artist and the anime.**

 **Well, the story is really processing forward now! Yes, it's confirmed. In this story, Lisanna is dead and** _ **will stay dead**_ **. Elfman's fight with Sol was definetly my favourite part to write. All of it just came naturally! I have no animosity against Lisanna but I feel her death led to a lot of character development for the Strauss siblings which would've been absent if she was alive in this story. I love Mira and I won't sideline her awesomeness.** _ **So there!**_ **But that is entirely my opinion. ^_^**

 **I love you guys for taking the time to review or favourite or follow. You fill my heart with love for you guys. Keep it up!**

 **BTW my papers started on Friday. I hate school... -_-**

 **Studying a lot -against my will- so expect slow updates. Don't have an update schedule but I try to keep it weekly. All my chapter are at least six thousand words and if I don't update within a week then they are usually around ten thousand to make up for it. Love to know what you guys thought of this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Phantom Lord's Dumbest

Chapter 7 - Phantom Lord's Dumbest

Mira and Elfman's return to the camp was pretty much unnoticed. Master was dozing off on the camp bed and Gray was taking large swigs from what looked like a jug of ice, and not much else. Cana was lying on the floor, empty beer cans rolling around her head. Natsu and Lucy were sitting against the wall in one corner, bickering. Natsu was pouting, and Lucy was glaring daggers at him. Bickslow and Alsack were oblivious to the world as well, while Bisca, Kinana and Laki were intently watching the matches outside. Evergreen was perched against the table top, buffing her nails. She glanced up and stopped short as the sight of them - bruised, bloody and exhausted. Her mouth fell open in surprise.

"Elfman! Mira?" She glanced confusedly at the half unconscious cheer captain in his arms. "Master! Someone wake him up!" She cried, running over to help Elfman set Mira on the floor carefully. The rag around her thigh was soaked red.

Lucy gasped in shock but quickly got into motion, running over to move an intoxicated Cana out of the way, while Natsu grabbed Gray's jug and poured it over Master's face. He woke up with a start, before insisting they call Porlyusica rather than rush Mira to the hospital. The pink haired lady soon arrived, grumpy as usual, and shooed them all out of the tent. Outside, the matches between the sophomore and the freshman team of both schools were in full swing, the results tied for now. Elfman haltingly narrated the events that had conspired, rubbing his eyes and sniffling every few seconds. He was telling them about how he had rushed Mira to the tent without anyone finding out, when Ever's phone rang. _It was Laxus._

She gulped, before hesitantly answering it. "Uh, hello?"

"Oi, Ever. Is everything alright?" Laxus's impatient voice rang out. At Master's questioning look she put her phone on speaker.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine." She said, unsure of how to tell him that his girlfriend was injured. Around her, everyone quieted down. All of them had either witnessed or heard great tales about Laxus's rage. Realisation sparked through them all, as they exchanged nervous glances and shuffled uneasily on their feet.

"Then why isn't Mira answering her phone? Don't tell me you guys were _stupid_ enough to send her out there after keeping her up all night..."

Evergreen winced. _Oh crap._

"Wait a minute." He said, musing over his words carefully. "EVER! Where is she?"

"She's fine Laxus." Evergreen tried to soothe him. She cleared her throat, sending desperate glances to Bickslow. "Are Jet and Droy alright? Did the Phantom kids try to attack them again? You're not hurt are you?" She asked in a rush, her voice slightly high pitched. "Things are quite well here too. We're tied with Courage in all the matches and although there's no sign of Levy -"

"Nothin happened here so I'm gonna meet you guys there soon. I'm on my way -"

"But Laxus, what about Jet and Droy?" She interrupted him, stricken. _No, no, no. This is bad. This is really really bad._

"They'll be fine." He said lazily. "Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Ever, I can tell when you're shitting me. What the hell happened to Mira?"

"I-I told you. She's absolutely fine!" Evergreen said angrily.

"Oh, yeah?" He challenged. "Then lemme talk to her."

She faltered. Bickslow stole her phone, holding it close to his mouth.

"Bro, you sound like a girl who's PMSing. What happened to 'mister-I-don't-give-a-crap'? Cause that guy was really cool." Bickslow ranted, winking at Evergreen. Her eye widened in realisation as she realised what he was trying to do. "I mean, come on dude. Mira's out there with the girls, cheering us on. Ever's trying to take a break, so the least you could do is stop harassing her. You've already got her really pissed cause you interrupted her very heated and passionate make out session, which scarred me for life, with Elfman -"

A very pink Ever slapped his head, snatching her phone back. "What _Bickslow means is that_ -"

"Yeah, yeah." His voice sounded. "You're busy, he's busy and Mira's busy. But I'm bored so I'm coming over anyways."

Evergreen slapped her own forehead. She hasn't gone through eternal humiliation to have Bicklow's plan of distraction fail so easily...

"Evergreen, is that Laxus?" Lucy called out at that moment, much to everyone's surprise. She had been standing right there, so why was she acting clueless?

Lucy bugged out her eyes at Ever, who managed to reply back.

"Y-yeah."

"Great, can you tell him to pick up my phone from my apartment?" She said over the speaker. "I'm sure the door is unlocked."

Laxus made a frustrated noise over the speaker. "I don't know where it is."

"Ever can text the address to you, right?" Lucy asked sweetly.

"Yup, I know where it is." She played along.

"My phone is on the countertop." Lucy added. "Thanks, Laxus!"

"Yeah, yeah." He grumbled. "Sing the song once and you're doomed for eternity..." He muttered, hanging up.

Lucy breathed out a sigh of relief. "Crisis averted." She announced. "Temporarily..."

"Your apartment is on one side of Magnolia. The hospital is on the other." Natsu reminded her. "That was pretty smart." He admitted.

"Yeah, but when Laxus realises you hid Mira's injury from him, he'll combust." Gray said.

"Oh crap..."

"Except Mira will be awake by then." Master realised, his face breaking out into a relieved smile. "If anyone can subdue him, it's her!" He said, as the she-devil was actually an angel who could subdue his demonic grandson, who reminded Lucy of Pikatchu for some reason.

"Oh, Gray you should get going. The second floor is all yours." He continued.

Erza chose that moment to join them, dressed in black skinny jeans and a fitted red jacket with the fairy tail emblem. Against her waist hung a sheathed katana and Lucy knew there were two small butterfly knives in her boots. Erza was nothing if not bad ass...

"I'll take the third floor." She offered. "We don't have a lot of time left. And two of the Element Four still remain. Not to mention Gajeel."

"Very well then." Master agreed. "Lucy, you and Evergreen should join Lisa and Michelle on the field. Bisca, you too. Everyone else, BACK TO YOUR POSTS!"

Shoulders slumped, everyone walked back to their positions, thanking God that they were not on the receiving side of Erza's anger.

-/-

Gray couldn't help but whistle a sad, depressed tune as he walked down the hallways, the kind that you heard in funerals. Outside, it was lightly drizzling, the time was around twelve and the sporting events had been put on halt right now. However, students were under strict instructions not to leave the field.

He knew he had to face one of the Element Four. It was going be either this guy Aria, or a girl named Juvia. His phone suddenly beeped, showing a message from Cana that Erza had already started fighting Aria. Gray pocketed his phone, unfazed that he would no have to face the deadly Juvia Locksar. Speaking of which -

A girl stepped into the hallways. She was wearing a black crop top, a short purple skirt and matching jacket, and black boots with ripped tights. Her long blue hair were carefully curled, and Gray noticed the way she fidgeted uncomfortably in her revealing outfit. Against her waist hung a deadly rapier. Gray gulped at the size of that sword. It was really long, best used for speed.

The girl had stopped glaring daggers at him, and was now scrutinising him carefully. "What is your name?" She asked, a French accent seeping in through her tone.

"Gray." He said, nonchalantly. "And you're Juvia. Right?"

That surprised her slightly. "How do you know Juvia's name?"

"I know a lot about you." Gray lied. "You're part of the Element Four. And you helped kidnap Lucy this morning. Not to mention you attacked -"

"Lucy? Are you referring to the Heartfilia girl?" She asked, angrily. "Love Rival?" She murmured under her breath. And then she attacked.

Gray realised why Jet said she moved 'like water'. Juvia attacked like a madwoman, twisting here and there, jumping right and left at unimaginable speeds with an unlikely amount of grace. It took immense effort to just dodge her consistent attacks. As she paused to draw her breath, Gray took the chance to punch her in the ribs, effectively knocking the air out of her. Her eyes widened but she retaliated with a low growl. Several punches and kicks later, Juvia paused again, several feet away from him. She fingered her rapier.

"This is getting nowhere." She announced, flinging her hair behind her shoulders. "Choose your weapon. Juvia will use her rapier - Aqua Slicer." She said, carefully unsheathing it. The thin blade gleamed in the dim light, the blue stones on the hilt glinting mysteriously.

"I don't have a sword." He said smoothly.

Juvia scowled, before gesturing to the wall. "Juvia can see that. She told you to _choose_."

Several heavy and glitzy jewel laden swords of various shapes and sizes graced the wall. Gray stared wide eyed. _Swords..._

He hadn't used a sword in years. But without it, he would be a piece of meat for Juvia to slice up with that rapier. Instinctively his hand reached out towards a long sword, that seemed more like a deadly extension of his arm. Gray recognised it instantly with a pang. It was an Ice Blade, forged with the hardest of metals. A specialty only found in the northern parts of Fiore. He had heard that they didn't even make Ice Blades anymore.

Gray held it in his right hand, shifting to his left as he struggled with the heavy blade. ' _Single handed use of the ice blade is often unstable and careless_.' The words, the lessons, the practices, they all came back to him.

Gray took a deep breath. He knew he had to conquer his fear sooner or later. He positioned his sword in front of him and looked Juvia in the eye. "I'm ready." He said. "This is for Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail..." Juvia hissed, holding her rapier to one side, ready to strike. "You were the ones who ruined everything for me."

"Sorry, but it doesn't matter if you're a woman or even a child. I don't go easy on anybody who hurts my comrades." Gray said, steely determination in his eyes. _It was about time he practised sword fighting again._ He only hoped that his skills weren't _too_ rusty.

-/-

Juvia wore a striped brown and beige bikini top, with a black belt below it and a matching brown skirt. She wore thigh-high black boots which were mostly ripped. On her arms were elbow length fingerless gloves. Her long blue hair were pulled into a high pony tail, her bangs framing one side of her face, the remaining pinned up with a skeleton hair clip. Around her neck was a black choker. She had several piercings on her ear, and a bored expression in her face as she lounged on the bonnet of black sportswear.

Gajeel sat beside here, wearing a brown high collared shirt that revealed his bare chest and black trousers. Her wore fingerless gloves with metal knuckles and spiky shoulder pads as well. He wore a similar choker and his black hair was untamed as usual. His piercings stood out in full glory, a smirk on his face as if he was planning on eating you alive.

The caption under the picture was _'Phantom Lords's Strongest'_. Bickslow had sent them the picture, except he had crossed the words to spell _'Phantom Lord's Dumbest'._

"Am I the only one who thinks Juvia is actually really pretty?" Lucy asked rhetorically, peering over Bisca's shoulder as she glanced at that picture. "I mean, if she wore something a bit more well, less revealing and smiled. She's got really nice eyes though."

"I think Gajeel is sort of hot, actually." Ever admitted. "In a bad-boy-turned-rogue kinda way."

"Ever, you have a boyfriend, remember?" Bisca reminded her. "Tall, tanned, muscular? She-devil for sister?"

"We are not dating!" Evergreen screeched.

Lucy smirked. "I don't know who's more of a tsundere, you or your boyfriend."

They ignored her cries of outrage as they went on acting cheerful and preppy, cheering on their school from the sidelines. Since it was only a drizzle, the soccer match had started, and Courage was winning. Fairy Academy needed all the support it could get.

"Let's go FAIRIES!" Lucy yelled, clapping here hands together.

"FAIRY ACADEMY TO THE TOP!" They all cried out together. "LETS DO THIS!"

"NOTHING BUT THE BEST!" The spectators said loudly. "Fairy! Fairy! Fairy Academy!" They chanted.

"Alright!" Lucy rallied the audience. They formed a half pyramid, Bisca and Evergreen stood exactly two feet apart, while Lisa and Michelle sat on their shoulders, holding up a large Fairy Academy banner.

"Who's gonna win?" Lucy asked the audience. "FAIRY ACADEMY!" They chanted along with her, pumped.

Two storeys above, Erza smiled, swinging her sheathed katana against her opponent's head, effectively knocking him out.

-/-

"Argh!" Juvia cried, as her sword clanged against Gray's. "Juvia must admit, you are definitely a formidable opponent."

"Thanks, but I haven't practiced in years." Gray said, smirking despite his injuries. "I know I could be a lot better."

The girl scowled, aiming for his stomach. "Juvia does not care how good you are. Juvia will get revenge on the Dreyars. No matter how attractive you might be, Juvia will slice you apart if it means avenging her mother and father. Juvia _must_ defeat you!" With new vigour, the girl lunged for him.

Gray hurridly brought down his sword, clumsily dodging her attack. "You're not the only one who's been hurt." He reminded her. "And as far as I know, Gramps would _never_ hurt anyone."

"Juvia is not answerable to you, Gray-sama. Juvia must defeat you." She repeated.

"I guess we're on the same page then, cause Gray-sama - I mean, I - must defeat you, Juvia. You kidnapped my friends and beat them up. You blackmailed Levy and you're saying it's all justified because someone destroyed your life?"

The blunette faltered at his words, her grip on the hilt loosening, as the full weight of her action sunk in. A guilty expression crossed over her normally blank face. She bit her lip, regretting what she had done so mercilessly.

Gray took the chance, knocking her rapier out of her hands, as he held his sword against her neck in one swift move. "I'm glad to see you have _some_ human emotions." He said with a smirk.

Juvia was shocked, and her expression hardened. "You cheated." She declared. "You blackmailed me, emotionally."

"Actually, sweetheart, I only told you the truth. Are you saying you didn't do any of that?" Gray said sarcastically. He had no idea where the 'sweetheart' slipped out, but it was worth it when she seethed in anger.

"Are all of you like this?" She questioned in a tight little voice.

"Like what?"

"Determined, honourable and just." She said quietly, blushing slightly.

"You think I'm honourable?"

She met his eyes. "Juvia has never seen anyone defend his comrades like you did."

Gray smiled, nodding. "That's the first rule of Fairy Tail. Your comrades a re your family. You protect them, and they protect you." He turned to her. "Isn't that what a family does?"

Juvia was shocked, but then she took a deep breath, sighed as if a weight had dropped off her shoulders and smiled. "W-will you please tell Juvia more about Fairy Tail?" She asked shyly, her transition from a fearless warrior to a, well, much more normal girl was shocking.

Gray shrugged. "Why not." He glanced outside to where the sun rays had escaped the grey clouds as the sky slowly cleared up. He was feeling more cheerful already!

"And, could you please tell Juvia about Raven Tail as well?" She continued.

At that Gray's face darkened. "What's your connection to him?" He asked sharply.

Juvia smiled in understanding. "You are very skilled with your sword, yet your hands trembled when you it picked up, and you had to force yourself to use it." She explained. "Juvia will tell you her story, if you tell her yours."

Gray stared at her. This girl picked up on his emotions in ways no one else could. She was an absolute stranger willing to hear everything about him and tell him everything about herself. After all, what were the chances they would see each other again?

The normally conservative, quiet and withdrawn Gray smirked again, gesturing to the small balcony at the end of the hallway. "After you."

Besides, if she tried anything, he could easily disarm her. His grip around his sword tightened. He had decided to keep it, _for now._

 _-/-_

"Is it just me, or is this taking _forever_?" Lucy whined as she took a break from the squad, grabbing a water bottle from the stand. She slumped down on a dry patch of grass with a sigh. The sun was shinning down, and a wave of exhaustion rolled over her.

"Oi, Lucy!" Natsu called out to her, a few feet off. He jogged over to where she sat, flopping down beside her.

"Erza won her fight." He told her. "But she's really badly hurt."

"Uh huh." Lucy agreed, not really paying attention.

Natsu sighed, feeling annoyed, but kept up his tirade. "And Gray called, saying he took care of things too. I'm guessing he scared the girl shitless with his stripping... Stupid Ice Princess."

Lucy only nodded along, her eyelids feeling heavier and heavier. Natsu stubbornly persisted, intent on annoying the blonde.

"Laxus showed up too, and boy, he was pissed! Luckily Mira woke up by then, and convinced him it was her idea." He huffed, while the blonde continued to nod in agreement sleepily.

"And I have a flying blue cat named Happy, who's actually from an alternate dimension. My brother has these weird Satanic cults worshipping him. My dad was a dragon, and he was killed by another dragon. Oh, and my hair's on fire." He added, dryly, making it all up as he went.

Lucy's eyes were closed, and her head was lolling about. Natsu smirked, grabbing her water bottle. _Wait, what if she freaks out and goes Lucy Kick on me?_ Nastu got to his feet, and made a risky choice. He dumped the water on her head, and darted to a conveniently placed tree. Ignoring Lucy's sputtering and cries of outrage as the cold water trickled down to her uniform and messed up her hair, he climbed up the tree, swinging past the branches. And then a ringtone blared.

 _'_ _Mezamete wa kurikaesu nemui asa wa_ _'_

"Ahhh!" In a hurry to shut it off, Natsu scrambled across the branch, only to land face-first into the ground.

 _'_ _Eri no tai wo kitsuku shime_ _'_

Lucy spun around to were he had fallen, glaring daggers at him. "So there you are!"

"Why the hell do you watch all the mainstream animes?" He asked her, sitting upright as if the fall hadn't even bothered him.

"Why the hell do you have my phone?" Lucy countered. "Unless, you're secretly an Angel Beats fan too..." She teased.

"I was tryna tell you that Laxus got it back fro your apartment, but you wanted to sleep." Natsu said pouting as he tossed the phone to her.

Lucy caught it, glancing at the the latest missed call. It was Cana. She called her back instantly, silently begging Natsu to keep quiet.

"Where the fuck are you?" Cana greeted her, her voice fuzzy.

"I told you I was going on a break!"

"That was twenty minutes ago, stupid. We were all worried you were making out with Natsu or something. I mean, poor you! Don't worry, I reminded them you have standards. Or maybe Nastu has standards..." She rambled on, obviously drunk.

Lucy sighed, not bothering to reply as she hung up. She narrowed her eyes at Natsu who was was staring at her, head slightly tilted to one side.

"What?" She snapped.

"You're drenched." He reminded her blankly, pointing to her chest. "And uh..." He was definitely blushing now.

Lucy glanced down. The water had made her dress stick to her body, and the white material had turned transparent, putting her pink bra on full view. "Uh, um..." She sputtered before turning to glare at him. "This is all your fault you pervert!"

"What? How is it my fault? You're the one who's acting like a perv! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN STRIPPER!" He cried, getting to his feet in anger.

"Oh yeah? And who the one who _DUMPED A BOTTLE OF WATER ON ME,_ YOU PINK HAIRED LOSER!"

"Well, you weren't listening to me -"

"I was really sleepy, Natsu Dragneel!" She huffed. "I couldn't sleep last night because I was kidnapped! Do you really need me to remind you that?" Smoke emitted from the girl who was sporting a deadly expression.

Natsu who would have normally backed off upon seeing her death glare, persistently continued to scowl back her. "Well, you're the one who went into the balcony, even after I told you _not to_!"

"Oh I'm sorry!" She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I had no idea I would be freaking _kidnapped_ in the middle of the night!"

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Gray's voice rang out.

Natsu and Lucy turned to stare at the raven head, and the pretty blue haired girl standing shyly by his side.

"Ugh, why is always you, Ice Princess?" Natsu groaned. "I was about to win a very important argument." He turned to glare at Lucy, who glared back.

Lucy stepped on his foot. "Oh, can it, pyro!"

"Make me, Heartfilia!" He retorted. His eyes suddenly slid downwards and they widened as he flushed again. H silently pulled off his jersey, clearing his throat awkwardly as he handed it to Lucy. She stared at him, confused before understanding what he meant.

Lucy quickly wrapped it around herself, before turning to Gray. "Uh, hi?"

-/-

The walk up to the tent was awkward at best. Natsu and Lucy walked ahead, shooting deadly glares at the other's head, yet whenever their glares met, Natsu would flush slightly and look away in frustration while Lucy would uneasily pull his jacket tighter around her ribs. Gray watched their antics with a bemused smile, shooting comforting looks to Juvia, telling her to relax. The blue haired girl kept biting her lip, looking anxious.

They reached the tent at last, and everyone's reaction to Juvia was extremely comical at first. Cana dropped her flask, Erza dropped her katana, Evergreen fell off Elfman's lap, Bickslow was so surprised he tripped over Master Makarov, Laxus's fur coat fell off his shoulders - Wait, why was Evergreen perched on Elfman's lap?

And then it started.

"Oi, who the hell is that?"

"She's from the Element Four!"

"What the hell?"

"Gray, what is the meaning of this?" Erza's sharp voice rang out.

He drew an arm in front of Juvia. "Relax guys, she can help us."

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "One of her comrades almost killed Mira. And don't even get me started on Jet and Droy."

Apparently Natsu and Lucy hadn't realised that they had been walking with their enemy. Now they wore matching looks of surprise.

"You're the ones who kidnapped Lucy!" Natsu said angrily.

Lucy looked just as mad. "And Levy!"

"Not to mention you've been responsible for harassing Levy." Erza reminded her.

Juvia looked like she might burst into tears.

"She was only doing it to get revenge on Raven Tail!" Gray burst out determinedly. "And she can help us find Levy."

"Raven Tail?" Master Makarov asked. He looked at Juvia curiously. "How exactly can you help us?"

Juvia took a deep breath, feeling more confident with Gray's encouraging look.

"Last night, when Juvia and the others found Levy, Gajeel took the responsibility of getting her to headquarters. However they never showed up. Later, Jose sent us to kidnap Lucy, and we met Gajeel there. We subdued your bodyguards," She said, turning to Lucy. "while he knocked you out. When we got you the warehouse, Jose was extremely angry. He wanted to keep Levy there as well, but Gajeel refused, saying it wasn't safe. They argued a lot, and Gajeel disappeared. The next morning, three of you broke in, and helped Lucy escape. Jose got desperate. He hoped to use Levy to buy enough time to escape Fiore. Gajeel had told him that he was keeping Levy in the Academy, so he sent us to guard it, and also to keep an eye out for her. He did not trust Gajeel, you see."

"Wait, so you guys had no idea where Levy was?" Lucy asked.

"We know she's in the school, or at least Gajeel is." Alzack reminded her. "His phone's still giving off light signals, even though it's shut off."

"Gajeel did not answer our calls, not even Jose's. This morning, Juvia was the first to reach the Academy, and was heading up to the second floor when she saw Gajeel by the fountain. It was the first time Juvia had seen him since he had disappeared. Juvia hurried down, but he was gone. Just then Totomaru and Sol came in through the main entrance, and Aria arrived from the back. There is no other way out, and all windows are locked. Juvia thinks the fountain leads to Levy."

Laxus was the first to respond. "That's crazy. A fountain?"

"Whenever Juvia asked Gajeel where he was going, he said 'underground' as a joke. Juvia thinks there's a small room under the fountain."

"And why should we trust you?" Evergreen asked. "You could be leading us into a trap for all we know."

"Yeah." Max agreed, Warren and Alzack nodding along with him. Gray looked defiant, Natsu looked unsure, as did most of the others.

Master looked at Juvia carefully. "May I please talk to you outside?" He asked her.

Juvia nodded, hurrying after him to outside the tent. Inside, the atmosphere was silent and terse. They mostly just stayed quiet, or whispered amongst one another.

"I think I trust her." Lucy murmured in Natsu's ear.

He nodded, relieved he wasn't the only one. "Gray isn't usually so trusting. I'm go with his judgment. And Master's, of course."

Lucy smiled at his words, noting that he called Gray by his name, and not some stupid nickname like 'strippper'.

Just then they hurried back, Juvia looking relieved and Master surprised, and a little troubled.

"Listen up you brats! Do what she says!" He said. "Laxus, we need to talk. Come with me." And then he disappeared, Laxus following him outside.

"That was sudden." Lucy remarked.

Most of them wore identical looks of anger and distrust. Erza on the other hand, made her way across the tent and shook the girl's hand firmly. "If Master trusts you, then so do I!" She announced. "Consider this a chance to redeem yourself."

The blunette nodded gratefully. "Juvia will not disappoint you." She walked over to where Lucy stood. "Juvia is sorry for trying to kidnap you. The reason -"

"I forgive you." Lucy interrupted. "And if Gray and Erza trust you, then so do I. I'd love to get to know you better, but right now we need your help." She smiled. "Will you please help us find Levy?"

Juvia looked shocked. "I-it's the least I could do, Lucy-san. You don't need to say please. I'd be extremely grateful to help you." She smiled back, and Lucy was struck by the same thought as before. She brought her closer to the other girl.

"You should smile more often." Lucy whispered. "It suits you."

Juvia blushed, her smile more radiant then ever.

"Lucy!" Erza called. "Are you well enough to fight?"

Lucy nodded. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to make two teams. At least four of us will go track down Jose and get that flash drive. Two to three can go search for Levy but we don't have high hopes for that." Gray explained. "Juvia, what can you do right now?"

"There's a passcode lock on Jose's door which only those close to him know about, and additional detectors down that hallway as well." Juvia revealed. "Juvia can disarm them and get you inside."

"And the fountain?" Lucy asked.

The girl looked unsure. "Juvia doesn't know anything about that."

"Juvia, you're coming with me and Gray." Erza said. "What about you Natsu, and Lucy?"

"I wann search for Levy." The blonde decided.

"Me too." Natsu agreed, glancing at her. There eye met, and he nodded reassuringly. Lucy smiled, relieved.

"Don't worry Erza, I'll go with you!" Cana said loudly, sitting up. "Though since you're injured, you shouldn't be going at all. Hang on, I'll call Loke -"

"We don't have time for that. Loke is staying at the Guild, and we can't ask him to bring Wendy and Romeo here. Those kids are exhausted." Laxus reminded her, walking back inside. "He can't leave them alone either."

"Why don't you go with them?" Evergreen asked him, a small smirk on her lips.

"If I go, who's gonna protect Mir - I mean, the camp from those Phantom jerks. What's stopping them for just waltzing in and attacking us like before?" He said, scowling at the brunette.

"Woah, woah, woah, when did Miraxus become canon?" Cana cried. She hoisted herself off the floor, a wide smirk on her face. "Did you guys forget to tell me?"

"Cana! They've been canon for almost two years!" Evergreen reminded her.

"Yeah, but I'm waiting for the moment Laxus admits he loves her. He's such a loser that way, I swear..." Cana grumbled.

"Don't you remember, two days ago?" Lucy giggled.

"Some seniors were flirting with Mira," Ever continued.

"And Laxus decided to remind her exactly who she belonged to." Bisca finished, a wistful look in her eye. "A full on make out session."

"It wasn't that nice for the audience..." Natsu grumbled.

"Ahem!" Laxus, cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Are you guys done?"

"Done with what?" A sleepy voice asked.

"Mira!" Lucy exclaimed.

Before they could do anything, Laxus got up and walked out.

"Hey, was that Laxus?" She asked, struggling to keep her eyes open.

"It was nothing, Mira. You should sleep." Erza coaxed her, and the white haired girl shut her eyes again.

"What was that?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Laxus is pissed at himself for not being there to protect her..." Bickslow said, as if this had become a norm for the angry blonde.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me something I don't know!" Cana sang in response, waving her arms in the air. Gray was the first to snatch her flask out of her hands as he threw it out of the tent.

"YOU BE THE PRINCE, AND I'LL BE THE PRINCESS!" She continued, sticking her tongue out at him. "It's a love story, BABY JUST SAY YES!"

Besides Lucy, Natsu shuddered. "Cana knows we all have a thing against pop songs. Especially Gray..."

"And I would love you for a thousand years!" Cana continued, her voice unnaturally deep. "All along I believe -"

"One more word, and I swear to god, Cana I will confiscate all your booze!" Erza cut in, her expression deadly.

"Okay, that's a little harsh, even for Erza." Lucy said.

"Erza hates twilight with a passion." He whispered back. "Just like I hate -"

"BABY, BABY, OH!" Cana and Gray chorused together, animosity forgotten.

"OI, STRIPPER! Shut the hell up!"

A brawl broke out again, half of the guys eager to join in, the other half and Erza trying to break them apart and failing miserably. The rest joined Cana in the chorus of 'Baby' by Justin Beiber.

Lucy and Juvia were the only ones watching with their jaws hanging in the floor. They exchanged glances and Lucy nodded. _Yes, these people are total WEIRDOS..._

-/-

"Hmmm... What now?" Lucy slumped down on the stone walls, feeling hopeless. Natsu and Gray followed, breathing out deeply in frustration on either side of her.

"This is useless..." Natsu groaned.

Erza, who had been poking her sword into the fountain for the past five minutes, sighed letting her sword fall to the floor with a clang.

"Are you guys sure you pressed every _single_ tile?" Lucy confirmed uneasily. They had gone with the clichéd approach, hoping one tile would open up a secret passage like in the movies. No such luck... Erza had tried sticking her katana into every crack, nook and cranny in the large fountain, while Cana was having a hard time standing with her silver flask.

"We should get going." Juvia called out from the corner. "The ending ceremony is starting in five minutes. Jose has left his office for the prize giving, we won't get a better chance than this."

"But what about Levy?" Lucy protested.

"Well, the fountain's a dead end. We could out Jose's office too?" Natsu suggested.

"Ugh, stupid fountain..." Cana grumbled, tossing her now empty flask at the large stone bird that graced the top of the fountain. Instead of breaking, the bird's body twisted and water from the fountain began to drain back in. Natsu, Lucy and the others watched, awestruck as the floor of the fountain hollowed out, the remaining walls carving a narrow passage that seemed to lead underground. They all turned to stare at Cana, who shrugged nonchalantly, despite the gleeful smirk on her face.

"Off you go!" She said, waving her hands dismissively.

"Th-that was amazing!" Lucy sputtered. She tilted her head to one side. _Is this really the same girl who was drunkly singing pop songs a few minutes ago?_ She had to hand it to Master in gathering the most idiotic (in their own way) group of extremely talented teenagers. Her earrings brushed against the side of her face. _Wait, I'm a part of these idiotic losers too!_

She scowled. _Wait,_ her inner voice whispered. _I also said talented. You're talented Lucy, the best cheerleader. No one can use the whip like you!_ She thought, sending herself up. _No one's as co-ordinated and graceful as -_

Lucy took a step forward, as her foot slipped on some of the water from the fountain's spray. She would've went flying onto the ground had it not been for Erza.

Natsu snickered. "Way to go, clumsy!"

She scowled, her mouth forming into a pout. _Graceful, huh?_

Lucy crossed her arms against her chest, pulling the sleeves of Natsu's jacket closer to her fingers. "We should get going." She brushed him off with a glare.

"Aye sir!" Natsu saluted, stepping into pace with the blonde as they embarked underground. The passage lead to a small door at the very corner, which could be opened with a lever. With a deep breath, Natsu pulled it open, as the passage above them closed.

Encased in darkness, the two waited as the small doorway opened in a flash of light. The small, circular room looked peaceful, almost cozy, even though it was pretty much empty. A large black rug lay in the centre, where Gajeel Redfox was busy mediating. There were no windows, and placed in one corner was a small camp bed, a tiny blue haired figure unconscious.

"Salamander." A deep voice hissed. Gajeel cracked open one eye. "And the Heratfilia bitch. What a surprise."

"That is the most clichéd thing the bad guy can say..." Natsu remarked dryly. Lucy stared at him. _Was he for real?_ She shook her head at his impulsiveness.

Gajeel growled. His black hair was just as messy as in the picture, and piercings graced his face. He was wearing a purple and black vest top and black pants. _What is it with the matching clothes?_ Lucy guessed they were some kind of uniform for when they did all that dirty work for Jose.

Gajeel lunged for Natsu, who dogded easily. Lucy didn't pay much attention to their fight. She had to focus on Levy.

Lucy hurried to the camp bed, gently pulling the blanket off Levy. She breathed out in relief upon seeing her friend sleeping peacefully. Her face was unscathed and she didn't seem to be in pain either. She was clad in a large black sweatshirt and her ripped black leggings.

Lucy reached for her mouthpiece, pressing a button on the side. "Uh, is anyone there?" She asked hesitantly.

"Lucy?" Bickslow responded. "Wait, lemme put you on speaker. There you go. What happened?"

"I found Levy!" She said happily. "By she's unconscious. What do I do?"

She heard gasps and sighs of relief, and then everyone cheered happily.

"Check her breathing first." Master instructed. "And her pulse.

Lucy placed two fingers on Levy's wrist, sighing in relief as her pulse beat steadily.

"It's steady." She replied. "She seemed to be breathing normally too."

"Porlyusica says to bring her up ASAP." Bickslow relayed to her.

"Hehe..." Lucy laughed nervously. "I would but Natsu and Gajeel seem to be in the middle of a _really_ intense fight. And I can't exactly leave."

"Do you need help?" Bisca asked her.

"Not really. I just need to know how much time I have until the ending ceremony."

"Oh crap!" It was Ever. "We need all five members or we're disqualified."

"Fuck..." Bisca agreed.

"Can we get a substitute?" Lucy asked.

"But who?"

"Oi, Lucy!" Natsu called out. "You coming?"

Lucy stared, wide eyed at Gajeel's unconscious form. "Are you kidding me?"

"Oh it was easy." Natsu said, a small smirk on his lips. "He wasn't really into the any ways." A frown replaced his smile. "Something's wrong, though. With the way they all seem so eager to be free of Phantom. It's like they want Fairy Tail to destroy them..." He mused.

"That was a good fight though!" He stated, even though the corner of his mouth was bleeding. "I had fun."

Lucy stare turned into one of disbelief. "I really don't get you..." She said. "Now help me with Levy!"

"Aye sir!"

-/-

 _This is bad. This is really bad. This is really really bad._

Lucy sighed miserably. "Our performance is in two minutes. What are we gonna do?"

"We can go through the entire routine with five people." Evergreen said. "But we need someone to hold the banner in the end."

"Cana's too drunk." Bisca stated. "Erza's wounded, and Laki can't even move after her match. Most of the other girls are the same. We need someone _cute._ "

"Agreed. And -"

"Lucy-san, I heard about your performance!" A sweet voice cut in. "I can't wait."

"Wendy, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked in shock.

"I convinced Loke let me come." She said, a small smirk on her face.

"She is too cute.." Loke grumbled.

"I JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY!" Lucy shrieked.

Evergreen nodded. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Wendy, would you mind holding up a banner for us?" Bisca asked pleadingly.

Wendy agreed, and just in time too. The performance had started. 

_'_ _A roar can change even fate_

 _If you swore, let's begin_

 _An never ending "Fairy Tale"_ _'_

The start was overly energetic, with the now five girls jumping about, waving their pom-poms. Lucy felt proud. How much has she accomplished in just a few hours?

 _'_ _How far should I keep searching_ _…_

 _Even now, it felt like it was always nearby_

 _This urge's flames_ _'_

This morning, she had been hell-bent on finding Levy. Natsu, Gray, Erza, they all had been thirsty for revenge.

 _'_ _You'll never go ahead if you never lose something_ _…_ _but your bonds_

 _Are never lost_ _'_

Natsu had defeated Totomaru, Mira and Elfman had bravely faced Sol and Erza had easily rid them of Aria and the rest he their reinforcements. And Gray? He had helped Juvia see the light. See the power of Fairy Tail.

 _'_ _Even if you stand and wait, the_ _"_ _yesterday_ _"_ _never catches up_

 _Only the feelings of going can reach the_ _"_ _tomorrow_ _"_ _'_

They had defeated a gang. Lucy bit her lip. She could understand what most of them in Phantom Lord had been through. No, she hadn't been part of a gang. But Lucy had known many who were. They said their lives were much easier, happier. _No, this is real happiness._ She thought determinedly.

 _'_ _So grasp tightly the_ _"_ _now_ _"_ _in your hands_

 _Burn up! Stand up!_ _'_

No, Lucy couldn't give up. The past year had been very challenging for her. Many a times, she wanted to end it all. Just, run away. Run away from her dad, her friends. Her problems. Her life. Instead she had stayed. Faced her challenges. Looked her troubles in the eye.

 _'_ _I woke a miracle from deep of my soul and opened up my path_

 _Always forward! With a heart that never gives up_

 _Your wishes will come true_ _'_

Her wish? She and always wished for a family. Standing where was, Lucy gazed upon her 'family'. Smiling encouragingly, laughing and cheering proudly. A certain pinkette caught her stare. He smiled. That wide smile, the same one she had seen in Master Makarov's office that day.

 _'_ _Believe in your "story"_ _…_ _Never-end_

 _I believe never-ending tale!_

 _So, I'm going with my fellows!_ _'_

The girls chanted the last two lines, waving their pom-poms as Wendy stumbled onto the field beside them. They hoisted her up on their shoulders, as she held the Fairy Tail banner high.

The next few moments were a blur. Lucy pulled Natsu's jacket back on her shoulders, enjoying its warmth. They announced Fairy Tail as the winner and they all lifted up the trophy together. In her peripheral vision, Lucy saw a tall red haired man snap a pair of handcuffs around Jose Porla's wrists, smirking triumphantly.

They had done it. They had won. Levy was safe. Phantom Lord was destroyed. And Lucy was exhausted. She yawned, almost dropping the trophy. Natsu grabbed on to it, helping her steady the trophy. Her smiled, and Lucy couldn't help but smile back. It was contagious.

 **I had a dream where Asuna from SAO was fighting with her rapier, except she had short blue curls and looked a lot like Juvia. This inspired me to give Juvia a rapier here too. Her blade is named 'Aqua Slicer' which is Latin for one of Juvia's signature moves - Water Slicer. And yeah, Ur taught Gray sword fighting with 'Ice Blades' - how original... *sighs* I just love Miraxus! Getting a little tired of all this seriousness and character development. Fluffiness, craziness and loads of friendship feels up ahead! Yay, I'm so excited!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Sleep Deprived Idiots

Chapter 8 - Sleep Deprived Idiots

Gray sighed contentedly, pulling his sketch pad closer to his lap as he reclined on his favourite armchair. It was one of those unusually peaceful days when there was no sign of Natsu anywhere. He used his HB pencil to add another stroke to his picture, adding the lightest of pressure. The next line was bolder, followed by a series of smaller strokes to add effectiveness. The sketch was far from complete but he was massively inspired after the events that had conspired that day. All that running around, craziness and emotional overload had exhausted him. He wanted nothing more than to relax and draw a little, to ease his mind.

He narrowed his eyes, stating at the sketch in front of him. He wanted it to be perfect. He wanted to capture every feature as realistically as possible. Every sparkle in her eye, the curls in the ends of her hair, that shy smile, the droplets of rain in the background. He wanted it to be exactly as he imagined it in his head. Gray sighed again, very much at ease in his peaceful environment. He was only wearing a pair of sweatpants, and there was no one to ruin his concentration, or tell him to pull on a shirt. He rarely ever got to savour such moments.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" A high pitched voice rang out, shattering his environment completely.

"HEHEHEHEHEHE!" A deeper voice burst out. Those two voices started laughing again, louder and louder.

 _It sounds like two hyped up, sleep deprived idiots..._ Gray thought, scowling. _I'd better go shut them up..._

He threw his sketch pad on the coffee table, inspiration lost. With a heavy sigh, he walked out of his apartment, muttering each and every swear word he knew in every language he had ever learnt. _He had a really good idea who those idiots might be._

Exactly one floor down, the very same place where his own apartment was. Number three-oh-seven. Gray scowled, rapping his knuckles against the wooden door. No answer. The giggling had only gotten louder.

He knocked harder, and then the voices quieted down. The door sprung open, and a hyper-active Lucy smiled up at him, while an equally hyper-active Natsu waved at him from behind her, his legs propped up on her coffee table.

Gray slapped his forehead. _Why me..._

A Few Hours Earlier

"Taking naps is always a really, really bad idea.." Lucy groaned. "Now I'm totally charged for the next few hours!" She felt like someone had poked her eyes with a stick, and even though she wasn't totally exhausted and was running on reserve energy from all that chocolate she'd scarfed down nervously during the Festival, Lucy could tell that her body would crash in few hours. Her body was sticky with sweat, and her hair looked like a bird's nest. Her legs were sore and she could feel a stinging pain in her legs amidst all that grime and dried blood.

"I can't believe I actually fell asleep in a car..." Nastu replied, his tone mystified. "I normally get really motion sick." His hair was sticking up like those cartoon characters who got electrocuted when lightening struck, and his scarf looked more like a rag.

"Well we haven't exactly slept all night, and then with the Festival -"

"Hey, I slept at Mira's!" He protested.

"That's why you had the energy to lift that trophy, stupid." She reminded him, pulling his jersey closer. It was surprisingly unscathed and clean. "Oh, and to dump water on me."

Natsu scratched his head nervously. "Hehe. You still remember that?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, tucking her sticky bangs behind her ear. "You're still on probation though."

"Ugh I hate it when you use big words -" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

 _*Ting*_ The elevator doors burst open.

"See you!" Lucy walked out, fumbling around for her keys before she realised she hadn't even gotten a chance to lock her apartment since she was kidnapped, and they must still be inside. Considering the fact Laxus had gotten in easily, Lucy figured Natsu or Gray must've broken in the night before.

According to Laxus, her apartment was totally unharmed. A few minutes after Jose was arrested, Scorpio called her up, demanding an explanation. Lucy had no idea how to do that. Luckily Erza was standing nearby and was more than happy to relay everything that had happened. Her bodyguards were bewildered, but they agreed to meet up with Master Makarov tomorrow and 'discuss a few things'. Lucy knew they wouldn't tell her dad anything until they had a very clear picture of what was going on. Honestly, that was the thing Lucy dreaded most. Exactly what would her dad think of Fairy Tail and it's principles?

"Goodbye Fairy Tail!" Lucy muttered, pouting. "And hello home school. Enjoy it while it lasts Lucy..."

She flung open her door, prepared for any surprise attacks. There were none. The next thing Lucy did was lock her balcony doors. No surprise visits from Natsu or any other creeper who wanted to kidnap her, no thank you. She turned on the central heating system, increasing the temperature by five. The weather had cooled down considerably after the rain today, and since her balcony had been open all day (and night), her apartment felt more like a very big freezer, the kind you see in warehouses for storing purposes.

A nice long bath later, Lucy stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, eyeing her body. Around her ribs were a series of bluish black bruises, when some guy had tried to snatch her in the morning. She had two small gashes on her left knee as well. _How did that even happen?_ She wondered. There was like little she could do about the bruises except apply a light salve on them, and bandaging the cut was simple enough.

Lucy pulled on her old black tights, the most comfortable ones she had and a white tank top. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. _Ugh, her bedroom window was still open..._ She walked the length of her room and shut the windows with a clang, scowling at the sight of the rain which had started up again.

"I don't normally mind rain." Lucy muttered to herself. "But it just seems so depressing sometimes..."

She turned to her closet, in search of her favourite pink hoodie. A few minutes later she stood up with a sigh. "Must be in the laundry."

Lucy walked out of her room, slamming her door with a start. "Ugh!" She marched over to her sofa and grabbed him by the ear. "I locked my balcony this time! How did you get in, huh?"

Natsu sighed dramatically. "Your bedroom window was open, idiot."

His hair was still wet from a shower, and he was clad in an open black hoodie, white tee and jeans. His hand was bandaged and although he wore his necklace, his iconic scarf was missing.

"Don't come in my apartment only to insult me!" Lucy cried out, anger outweighing embarrassment.

"But I was bored!" He protested pathetically. "And Gray's gone to the police station."

"Huh? Why?" Lucy was intrigued. She plopped down beside him, grabbing a nearby jacket she had thrown on her couch on her way in.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at his jersey, which was currently wrapped around Lucy, but he didn't bother to comment. "He wants them to release Juvia. And he calls me 'whipped'..." He muttered in an undertone.

They had all been taken into custody. Aria, Sol, Totomaru, Gajeel. And even Juvia, who had been a massive help to them. Gray was livid. Erza was furious. Lucy insisted it was unjust. The fact that Master Makarov on the school's behalf did not press charges didn't matter. Juvia, Gajeel and the others would be tried in court. And then Freed had an epiphany of sorts. He had connections everywhere. And so did Lucy. They could easily get Juvia out.

But Master Makarov refused. He would not let his children help those those had hurt them. He insisted that they leave Juvia's case in his hands. He also gave a long speech about how he was going to show those misled children the right path. Even though she was distraught about Juvia (not as much as Gray was...), there was little Lucy could do about it now.

"But didn't Master Makarov -"

"Gray's not alone. He took _Erza_ with him." Natsu replied.

"I feel sorry for the officers..." Lucy muttered. "Anyways, wanna do something since you're already here and I'm not exactly sleepy yet?"

Natsu smiled, drool leaking out from his mouth. Lucy could tell he was thinking about food. _Loser..._ "Let's order pizza, I'm hungry." He suggested, as she rolled her eyes.

Just then Lucy's stomach growled. "Pizza it is." She agreed grudgingly. They ordered three boxes of pizza with everything for Natsu, and one cheese pizza for Lucy. Outside thunder rumbled as rain fell faster.

"The pizza guy hates me..." Natsu said with a smirk. "Let's see how he enjoys delivering me cheesy goodness in _this_ weather!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "You sir, are a total maniac."

"That's what they all say!" He turned to her, a small smirk on his lips. "Wanna watch a horror movie?"

As expected, Lucy pressed her lips together. "Uh, no thanks. I'm too tired for a movie."

"B-but you said you were charged up after that really long nap you took in the car." Natsu said, making the puppy dog face. "I even let you drool on my shoulder..."

Lucy but her lip, toying between arguing with him about whether or not she drooled in her sleep or just admitting the truth. She decided to go with the latter. "I - uh..." _Wait, what if he makes fun of me? Natsu will have a whole new way of torturing me if he finds out. No, I can't tell him..._

"And besides, I've got to call my dad." She lied.

To her surprise, Natsu looked even more depressed. "You're the one who invited me over and you even ordered pizza. And now you're _shooing me out_?" He asked mournfully.

Bright onyx eyes stared at her, unblinking. It seemed like tears would start gushing out any minute now. He was making her feel really guilty now...

"Lushy!" He said, dragging her name out. "Don't tell me you're frightened of horror movies?" His eyes carried more of a mischievous going now. The corner of his lip was tilted upwards. He was trying hard not to smirk.

"N-n-no! I'm not scared of horror movies!" She lied. "They're _no_ big deal! Let's watch something else though, please?" She pleaded.

"But you said they were no big deal..." The pout was back as he whined pitifully.

"Uh..." Lucy's eyes darted around wildly, in search of inspiration.

"We can watch 'The Conjuring'." He suggested eagerly. "Or maybe 'The Poltergeist'? I've heard it's _really_ good!" He seemed so childlike and innocent, as he stared at her almost pathetically, heart rendering, in fact...

"O-o-or we could watch Frozen?" Lucy blared out, before slapping her forehead. "Stupid!" She muttered. "Is that really the best I could come up with?"

"Ugh, a girly movie... Next you'll wanna braid my hair or somethin'..." Natsu scowled, falling back onto the sofa.

Lucy bit her lip, guilt overwhelming her. "I'm scared of horror movies." She muttered meekly.

The mischievous glint was back. "Aww, is wittle Lucy afraid of the scary movies?" He said in a baby voice. "Is she scared of the dark? And what about the monsters under her wittle bed? Or maybe -" he started laughing, unable to control his mirth.

Lucy thumped her fist on his head, smirking as he fell onto the floor, more from shock rather than force. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, but anger was quickly taking over. Those brown eyes had converted to deathly lasers, her lips were pressed together tightly, arms crossed against her chest and -

Natsu gulped, as the devilish aura escaped the blonde.

"It's not _funny_!" She growled. "You will _not_ make fun of me."

For some reason, the fact that Lucy who was acting so frightening was actually scared of horror and paranormal stuff was hilarious to Natsu, who burst out laughing again. Maybe he had a death wish, but the boy laughed harder, clutching his stomach, tears escaping his eyes.

Lucy quick realised her demon form had no effect on the pink haired boy, and slumped back onto her sofa, pouting instead. "Natsu!" She cried out in frustration.

His laughter subsided as he glanced at her, amusement bright in his eyes. "What?"

Her eyes fell on his throat, which for once wasn't hidden by that scaly scarf of his. A long scar ran from the length of his neck on the left side. If Lucy tilted her head, it would almost took the shape of a flash of lightening.

"Where's your scarf?"

All humour left his face, as he slumped again. "It's dirty..." He mourned.

"And that scar?" Lucy pointed at his neck, eyes inquisitive.

"Uh, this thing?" He scratched his head nervously. "Ah, I'm not sure I remember..." He laughed, trying to cover it up.

"What, did you stab yourself or something?" Lucy persisted. _It must be something embarrassing!_ She realised. _It's my turn to laugh now!_

"Uh, I tripped." He lied. "Yeah, I fell and -"

"Cut your neck?" She asked sarcastically.

"Hehe... Uh, nice weather isn't it?" He refused to meet her gaze. "We were gonna watch a movie, right? I-I mean, since you don't like horror, we were gonna watch the other one. Frozen, the one with the songs every two seconds?" He babbled. "I don't really mind that movie, heck I even cried at the part where she almost died! It's just the snow part that sucks. It's too much ice princessy, if you ask me. Now Stripper has an entire movie to back him up, I mean, why aren't there any movies about fire breathing dragons, or fire breathing blue flying cats, now that would be cool! I've always wanted wings, red ones no, BLACK! So the they won't clash with my fire powers." He finished logically. "Wait, what were we talking about again?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. She still wasn't used to his insane rants, like this one which started from the weather and ended with _fire powers_ for some reason! "We were talking about how you got that scar." She reminded him scathingly. She wasn't the nagging type, but watching his shoulders slump and his mouth droop comically was defiantly worth it.

"Uh, that... I fell off a ladder. And uh -"

The doorbell rang, and the poor boy breathed out in relief. "Saved by da pizza! MY TREAT!" He flung open the door, scuffling around for his wallet, the pizza guy watching his antics with an unamused expression.

"Uh, Luigi?" He called out to her. "I'm broke."

Lucy sighed dramatically, hoisting herself up as she walked the length of the room, reaching for her black suede purse on the kitchen countertop. She pulled out her hot pink wallet, aiming it at Natsu's head.

He caught it with ease, paid the delivery guy, forgot to tip him for foraging through the thunderstorm to deliver their pizza as usual, and slammed the door carefully setting the pizza on the table in front of them.

"Gray and I were eleven years old. We were fighting, and I was winning, of course." He said out of the blue, pride evident in his voice. "I would've knocked him out with the next punch, but he _snatched my scarf_!" He sounded scandalised.

"I kept pulling my scarf, but Gray kept a really tight grip on it, whilst fighting with me at the same time. And then suddenly he let go, and I tripped. My left foot got caught in a bucket, the other one got stuck in wet mud. I fell headfirst into this large white fence. It was horrifying..." He shuddered.

"Wait, you both tried to play tug of war with a scarf, you shoved your foot into a _bucket_ and fell into a _fence?_ " Lucy clarified. She was the one to burst out laughing this time, tears falling down her face while Natsu mumbled something about the pizza getting cold and tried to eat away the embarrassment. No such luck though...

"Lushy, come on, the pizza's getting _cold_!" He whined.

"Ugh, I'm coming, I'm coming!" Lucy said, carefully getting off her stool to join him. On one side of her countertop, were three high stools with black seats and metal legs. Even though they looked cool to sit on, they were slightly unstable and Lucy all too clearly remembered the times she had fallen off that thing by mistake.

She seated herself beside him and opened her box, sighing happily as the delicious cheesy aroma hit her nose. Natsu was already in his third slice...

"So," she started. "Since we're not watching anything, let's play twenty questions!"

Natsu groaned dramatically. "But you already know everything about me!"

"That's not true!" She replied, indignant. "I have no idea what you favourite colour is!" She countered.

Natsu sighed, pointing to his necklace. "It's red, stupid. Just like yours is pink!" He said in exasperation.

Lucy's shoulders slumped comically, but she lightened up almost instantly. "When's your birthday?"

"July first." He replied, reaching for his fourth slice.

"EH? That's my birthday too!"

"Wait, does that mean I don't have to give you a birthday present?" He asked hopefully.

Lucy slapped his arm. "Of course you have to. Bet I'm older than you though!"

"No way. I'm obviously the more mature one!"

"Mature? Have you seen yourself?"

"Everyday in the mirror!" Natsu winked, sticking his tongue out.

Lucy slapped him again. "You suck with the Yato expression." She grumbled. "And for your kind information, I was born at three in the afternoon."

"Haha! I am older! I was born at six in the morning! Beat that, Luigi!"

Lucy scowled. "But you are the immature one though..."

"Oh puhlease! And you're supposed to treat me with some respect, Junior!"

"J-junior?" She sputtered. "It's just a few hours."

"You can call me onee-sama too, I guess." He ignored her question, his tone thoughtful. "Or even -"

"Senpai!" Lucy burst out. "Natsu-senpai! I like it."

"Ah! No way, senpai is lame. You make me sound like some kind of grandpa, or some old dude, or something..." Natsu protested lamely. "I-if you call me senpai then I'll call you h-h-hentai!" He finished with a start, laughing at her outraged expression.

"I *smack* AM *smack* NOT *smack* A *smack* PERVERT!" Lucy smacked him again for good measure.

"God, woman that is one heck of a slap!" Natsu complained, rubbing his swollen cheek.

Lucy's anger subsided. "Hehe... Uh, sorry about that?" She tried to apologise. "You need an ice pack?"

"Nah, Erza's done worse."

"That sounds a lot like an innuendo..."

"I called you hentai for a reason, didn't I?"

A few more slaps, laughs, arguments and slices of pizza later, Natsu and Lucy were bored out of their minds again. Lucy booted up her laptop, and they spent an entire hour watching anime openings, funny scenes, anime crack and any random hilarious crap they came across.

And that is how one very irritated Gray Fulbuster found them laughing their asses off.

"Gray!" Lucy cried, her eyes bright with excitement. She had definitely exhausted herself to the limit. "I officially ship you with Elsa from Frozen!" She announced. "It's just like Natsu said, you're both dramatic ice princesses! Ah, I can already imagine your children!" She giggled.

"Oh come on, Lucy!" Natsu protested, holding back a ginormous yawn. "She's a princess and he's a s-stripper."

"Love knows no bounds, Natsu!" She yelled. "Don't worry, Gray, I support you two to the ends of the moon!"

"Lucy, she's a fictional character. He's not good enough for her. Just look at him, slapping his forehead without a care in a the world!" Natsu said scathingly.

"Hmmm... Maybe you're right! Gray isn't exactly royalty material, now is he?" Lucy agreed.

"Just kill me already..." Gray muttered to himself. "Oi, why don't you two go sleep, huh? You're exhausted."

"I'm not sleepy!" Natsu protested, sticking out his tongue childishly.

"Me neither! Sleeping is for little kids!" Lucy insisted.

"And we're grownups!" The two declared proudly.

Gray's phone had good timing. Erza was calling him.

"Okay, you two. Shut up." He said, answering the call. "Erza, what's up?"

"Ah, Gray. I've got good news. They're not going to arrest Juvia." Erza said happily. "Besides the kidnappings, Juvia didn't try to hurt you, and she's not exactly of age yet. Master had convinced them to let her go by Monday."

"Really?" He asked joyfully. "That's great."

"They're keeping her in this juvenile dorm for awhile though. Relax." She reassured him. "She'll be alright."

"Don't worry. Later." He ended the call. Gray turned back, and his mouth dropped open.

Lucy had collapsed on her armchair and was fast asleep. Natsu was no better, snoring on her couch. _I guess they just needed someone to shut them up..._ Gray reasoned. He shoved his phone in his pocket, grabbing a folded blanket off the couch. He sighed, draping it on Natsu's unconscious form. _Idiot, always overexerts himself._ Gray thought, shaking his head at the pink haired boy.

"Lucy's no better, though. She's just a newbie, yet it seems like she's been here for ever..." He muttered. "Still, she's good for him. I've never seen this guy worried about someone before." He laughed quietly, walking up to Lucy's room. He picked up a black stripped blanket and draped it in Lucy this time. "We haven't had new additions to the program in a long while. I wonder ..."

Gray stifled a yawn. Deciding that it was time he hit the sack, the raven head dimmed the lights and left the apartment quietly, while Natsu and Lucy slept on fitfully.

-/-

When Lucy awoke the next morning, her back was stiff, her legs sore and she was pretty sure her hair resembled a birds nest. Her bedroom felt unnaturally bright. _Maybe she had forgotten to draw the curtains last night?_ Her bed had turned a lot more harder and lumper than normal, and what was that irritating song that had jolted her awake? She shrugged off her blanket and grabbed her phone, unaware of her surroundings.

"Why is Gray calling me?" She said to herself. "At, uh two fifteen? Wait, oh crap. Isn't today a Friday? Oh shit I have school!" Lucy stood up hurriedly and tripped on her blanket, landing on the floor with an _oof_.

"Hey some people are tryna sleep..." A foreign voice mumbled sleepily. Lucy quickly sat up, staring at Natsu who was snuggling on _her_ couch with _her_ blanket!

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY APARTMENT AGAIN?" The blonde exploded. Natsu didn't bother to reply, pulling a cushion over his face as he began to snore.

Lucy focused on her surroundings, realising with a start that she was in her living room. Empty pizza boxes littered her kitchen table, her laptop sat open on her coffee table, Natsu was dead on her couch and she felt charged despite her bedraggled appearance.

"God, yesterday was _such_ a long day!" Lucy groaned, stretching her arms high. Her phone started ringing again. The Angel Beats theme song was starting to get really annoying now...

"Gray?" Lucy answered. "Is everything alright -"

"Did you JUST WAKE UP?" He roared. "You idiots fell asleep at seven and you wake up NOW? I've been calling you for TWO HOURS! I even knocked at your door and stuff. I thought you guys got kidnapped again!" Gray sounded like a mom scolding her two mischievous children. "Don't tell me you just _slept through it all!_ "

"Hehe," she laughed nervously. "I guess I really exhausted. I can't believe I actually fell asleep though. Thanks for, uh how do I put this, putting us to bed, I guess?"

"No problem." He replied gruffly. "I gotta go, later."

"W-wait! You're the only one who can help me." She said hurriedly. "Come take Natsu, PLEASE! I can't wake him up and he's drooling on my leather couch!"

"Ugh, do I have to?" He whined.

"Please Gray! I'm desperate!" She announced dramatically.

"Fine, fine. Cool your jets woman..." Lucy could hear the amusement in his voice. With a sigh, she shut off her laptop and started cleaning up the place.

Gray arrived and dragged his unconscious roommate back to their flat, grumbling and swearing as usual. Lucy sighed, flopping back down on her couch. "This has been the most dramatic week of my life!" She groaned. "Wait, didn't I have school today?" She checked her phone again. "Oh, it's two now, thank god! I guess school's over."

 _After all that craziness yesterday, will we even have school?_ A sharp rapping cut through her thoughts. Lucy sighed, crossing the length of the room to open the door. Erza and Levy stood outside, the redhead determined and the blue haired girl looking sheepish.

"Uh, hi?" Lucy greeted, trying to smooth down her hair and tug her jacket down.

"Lu-chan, I'm so sorry but Erza insisted -"

"Lucy, please convince Levy that holing herself up in her room will _not work anymore_. We all care for her and she should just revert back to the way she was before this incident!" Erza said loudly. "She refused to tell any of us about what was happening. All of this could be prevented -"

"Are you saying this all was my fault?" Levy countered, her tone suddenly icy. "I'm grown up now, Erza. I won't run to you for every little problem. I'm way past that."

"Guys, guys, chill." Lucy pacified. "Why don't you guys come in and we'll spend some time together."

Erza and Levy brightened up. "I'll call Mira." The redhead offered.

"You guys call over whoever you want, order what you want, but you pay." Lucy said wearily. "Take anything that's in the fridge. I'm gonna go take a shower."

It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with her friends, because Lucy had never met such an eccentric group of people. Maybe it was the fact at it was _HER APARTMENT they were invading. AGAIN._

A short shower later,Lucy was feeling so much better. She braided her hair, pulling on a blue tee and white capris. Outside she could hear lots of voice so and giggles. Opening the door, she was surprised to see how many people had gathered.

Erza was sitting cross legged on the floor, her back to the TV, her hands placed on the table. Her long red hair were pulled up in a ponytail, a thick white bandage around her forehead, and her wrist hidden by a baggy brown jumper. Evergreen was talking to someone on her phone, pacing by the balcony doors in jeans and cute green top. Levy wore an orange tee over a white full sleeved top, striped tights and short-shorts, her hair in a messy bun for once. Mira wore shorts and a pink tee, her legs propped up on the armchair, beside her. Bisca's face was hidden in her hands as she flushed at their teasing, clad in a red and white top, and brown leggings. Cana was trying to balance herself on the stool, in a dusty pink tank top and white sweatpants to hide her injuries.

Lucy smiled at the scene. They were all so comfortable with each other, was she really _one of them_?

"Oi, Lucy! Come on over here!" Mirajane beckoned her. "Please help us make this _stupid_ girl realise that her best friend is in love with her!" Her eyes gleamed demonically.

"Wait, are you guys talking about Alzack?" Lucy asked, shocked. "I knew he liked her, but Bisca? Ohmigosh this is so perfect!"

"Why aren't you guys dating yet?" Cana called out. "Oh, yeah. Because 'he doesn't feel the same way'. Someone knock some sense into this girl!"

"Can we please change the topic?" Bisca pleaded, cheeks flaring.

"Oh alright." Erza pacified her.

"Let's talk about you, Lucy!" Mira said, pulling the girl down on the sofa next to her. "Any guy caught your eye yet?"

"Huh?" She asked, embarrassed. "N-no way!"

"I think she looks really cute with Gray!" Bisca chimed in, her own embarrassment forgotten.

"Nah, Lucy doesn't seem to like the silent types." Levy observed. "What about Loke? He's cute."

"And a definite flirt!" Lucy reminded her. "No thanks. I'm fine -"

"What about Freed?" Cana called out. "If you like the intellectual types."

"Ugh, I've known that guy since I was in middle school. The only reason I actually talked to him in the first place was because I wanted to know what he used to get his hair so shiny." Lucy admitted.

Evergreen burst out laughing at that. "He just heard that." She reported, placing the phone on speaker. "Lucy, you little bitch! I told you to keep that a secret!" An angry voice rang out. "What part of -"

"Wow Freed, that's the first time I've heard you swear!" Mirajane called out, impressed.

"Oh don't start with me demon." He muttered as he hung up.

"Th-that guy's got guts." Levy stammered. "M-Mira calm down."

The girl was standing on her chair, staring at Evergreen's cellphone as if willing it to spontaneously combust. Yeah, not a good sight.

"Any ways," Erza said forcefully. "I think Natsu's the perfect one for you!"

"Ooh, who bet for NaLu?" Mirajane asked, clapping her hands gleefully. "I put in two hundred dollars that they'll be together by the end of the month!"

"The month ends in a week!" Lucy protested, flustered.

"What's your point?" The white haired girl asked in a sickly sweet voice.

"All in favour of NaLu?" Levy excitedly asked.

"Aye!" They all chorused except Lucy.

"All opposed?" She asked half-heartedly.

"Aye!" Lucy cried. "Oh come on? Doesn't my vote count for anything?"

"Democracy, honey. Democracy." Evergreen said smugly.

"Ugh..."

-/-

 _"Oh my god, is that really the best you can do?" Sorano asked rudely, hands on her hips. She was wearing the school uniform; white full sleeved shirt and a pink plaid skirt. Carefully tied around her neck like a choker, was a hot pink ribbon the same colour as that of her four inch stiletto heels. Everything from her physical features to her hair was just like Yukino. Except Sorano was taller, her hair longer, with a 'don't mess with me' expression always pasted in her face._

 _"B-but I told you, Marie has never taken alcohol in her entire life!" A redhead protested, her arms supporting a shorter brunette, who was passed out with all the shots she had been forced to take._

 _"Oh don't make me laugh!" Sorano replied in a bored tone. "Lucy's barely fifteen and she can easily hold her liquor. And she agrees with me. You're losers, both of you!"_

 _Lucy bit her lip, standing a few inches behind Sorano fidgeting in her pale pink boots, pink tie, skirt and white top._

 _"Lucy!" She called out testily. "_ _Don't_ _you agree with me?"_

 _"No sixteen year old should be this weak with drinks." Lucy found her self saying in a harsh voice. The girl who had been pleading with her eyes for Lucy to defend her was shocked, as she looked away eyes filling with tears. She held her friend tighter and stumbled away as fast as she could._

 _"Such amateurs..." Sorano scoffed. "Here." She handed Lucy a red cup, much like the others she had seen in the party, except the surface seemed to sparkling with some sort of powder._

 _She saw Lucy staring at her drink and smirked. "Oh don't worry. It's just something to make you have a little fun that's all."_

 _"A little fun?" Lucy echoed. Before Sorano could turn to glare at her, Lucy chugged down the contents of her cup swiftly. Her hesitant smile turned into a grimace at the taste of the butter liquid gushing down her throat, and quickly morphed back into a fake smile._

 _Sorano nodded in approval, taking a sip of her own drink. "Good thing -"_

 _The music cut off as a pretty girl entered the room. "Everyone!" She announced. "I'm so glad you all could make it. Special thanks to my cheerleaders for helping me set up!"_

 _"Ugh, like we had a choice..." Sorano muttered under her breath._

 _"I hope you're all having fun!" The girl continued._

 _"Of course they will." Sorano whispered scathingly. "It's your party after all. A 'Karen Lilica' specialty."_

 _"I would also like to introduce you all to my boyfriend, Leo!" Karen said proudly, gesturing to the handsome redhead surrounded by giggly girls. She glared at them, sending them scurrying before latching herself onto Leo's arm. Karen kissed him on the cheek, before leaning over to whisper something in his ear, an irritated expression on her face._

 _"Sorano, why does everything about Karen piss you off so much?" Lucy ventured hesitantly._

 _Instead of snapping at her, the white haired girl sighed, her eyes glazed over. Maybe she was more drunk than she realised. "It's not about her beauty, or her personality. There's nothing about her that I envy, not really. Except for that." She pointed ahead, gesturing ahead to where Karen was surrounded by wannabes, carefully perched on Leo's lap. Boys threw lustful glances her way, while girls envied her to the point of bitter hatred. She ordered a girl to get her something to drink, and three of them ran off to obey her command._

 _"See that?" Sorano said, a bitter smile on her face. "She has power. Lots of it. I envy how powerful she is. Cause in the end, that's all that matters._

Lucy woke up with a start, her neck aching from falling asleep in that armchair last night. It was barely six a.m according to her alarm clock, but she was wide awake. She gripped her bedsheets tighter, disgust, anger and hatred filling her body.

"Sorano." She whispered to herself. "You were wrong. Power isn't all that matters. For Karen, it became her downfall."

-/-

"Lucy remember when we all were discussing going to this concert thingy? It's like a festival where all upcoming bands play. Some of them are crap, but others are really good!" Levy said eagerly. "You wanna come?"

"Huh? A concert?" Lucy mused over the phone. "Yeah, I'm free, but how will I get there? You said it's somewhere on the outskirts of Magnolia."

"Yup, it's pretty far but we'll just take the train!" She replied cheerfully. "Don't worry, it's just us. Erza, Gray, Natsu, Mira and Loke, Cana maybe. Still have to ask Ever and Bisca, though. So, you coming?"

"Uh, I guess?" She deliberated, using her shoulder to balance her phone against her ear as she sorted through the laundry. Where was Virgo when she needed her?

"Great, I'll see you in an hour by the station near the Academy!"

Lucy ended the call, a sad smile on her face. Levy was trying so hard to act normal by suppressing her emotions, but Lucy was afraid of confronting her. Afraid that Levy might break down, or worse. All she could do as help her move on.

"Okay, Lucy! Now's not the time for depressing thoughts like this!" She encouraged herself. "Pick out something cute to wear and get your ass moving! Maybe even get a boyfriend or something who doesn't mind the fact that you were once a wannabe Queen Bee bitch."

She sighed, shaking her head in anger. "No more going into the past!" Running her hands through her hair, Lucy forced herself to pull open her never-ending wardrobe.

"Festival huh?" She mused. "I'll need to go with something casual, like shorts. And a tee, maybe?"

Lucy pulled on a purple shirt, a black waist coat, shorts and leggings. Pulling her bangs into a small ponytail on the side, the blonde smiled at her reflection adding a little eyeliner and lipgloss, but no mascara since they were made of really gross stuff like bat poop.

"Okay, Lucy you're going to have fun today. Tomorrow you'll face your dad when Scorpio and Taurus decide to tell him the truth after their 'evaluation' on the Academy and-and he might make you leave, but you'll convince him, kay?" She nodded at her reflection. "Alright then! Let's go listen to crappy music in the blaring sun, Lucy!" She slapped her forehead. "Way to be encouraging..."

"You do know that talking to yourself is the first sign of craziness? And I'm pretty sure you're already half way there, Luigi."

Lucy spun around on her heel, catching sight of Natsu who was casually leaning against her bedroom doorway. He was wearing jeans with a chain looped around his waist, a turquoise blue dress shirt and a dusty pink light jacket. Lucy raised an eyebrow. That combination of clothes could go through hell and back and _still_ look like shit on whoever dared wear it, _except for Natsu that is..._ She crossed her arms against her chest, glaring at him. That was all the mental compliments he was going to get from her.

"You do realise I could've been sleeping, or even changing." She spat out. "And you _still barged in?_ "

"Eh, Luigi. First of all, you wouldn't be sleeping cause you just spoke to Levy who told me to pick you since you don't know where the station is -"

"I know where the station is!"

"Oh yeah?"

"I was gonna use Google Maps, kay? Stop staring at me like that!"

"Heh, told ya' so. And what else was there? Oh yeah, changing. Oh please, Luce, we both know your three times the pervert I am!"

"HELL NO! Wait, did you just admit you're a perv?"

"That means you admitted you're thrice that?" He asked her, smirking.

"Ugh! I hate you. GO AWAY, I'LL FIND THE STATION BY MYSELF!"

"Aw, angry much?"

"Better yet, I'll take Gray with me!" She smiled at irritated look on his face.

"Too bad he already left, Luuushy." He said, that stupid smile back on his face.

"Why can't you just call me Lucy?"

"Lushy is so much more fun to say, compared to _Lucy -_ Oi, stop hurting me! That hurt, Luce. Luigi, Lushy, ow, ouch, ugh fine, LUCY STOP SLAPPING ME, PLEASE!"

"Hehe, you totally deserve it, you pink haired weirdo."

"Right back at ya' you blonde haired weirdo."

"It's just blonde. Not _blonde haired._ I swear Natsu, have you never bothered to read a book? Ever?"

"Does it matter?" He whined. "We're gonna be late!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Chill!"

The station was surprisingly close to her school, but Lucy had never gotten a chance to go there, since well, she did move here _only_ two weeks ago. Exactly two weeks ago, to be honest.

Even though it was eleven in the morning, way out of school or office hours, the station was bustling with activity. In one corner a group of thirteen year olds were unsuccessfully trying to play an electric guitar, a sign in their feet claims they were trying to save up for an X-Box. _Good luck with that..._ Lucy thought, shaking her head in amusement. The train to their stop only ran once every hour, and they were _late..._

"Natsu! Isn't that our train!" Lucy cried, pointing to the blur of red and white which was speeding away from the platform.

"Oh crap..." He hissed. "We missed it! Now Erza's gonna kill me. This is all your fault Lucy!" He accused her, an evil aura escaping _his_ body this time.

"How dare you accuse me, Natsu Dragneel." She shrieked. "You're the one who spent twenty minutes debating whether I am blonde or 'blonde haired'!"

"You're blonde haired and you know that!"

"Shut up, I'm stuck with you for an hour now. Don't make me _kill you!_ "

"Uh, o-okay, Luigi. I-I mean, Lucy. Your highness? Stop glaring at me, please!" He pleaded.

Lucy ignored him, seating herself on the hard plastic chairs, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. _Lucy - 2, Natsu - 1._

-/-

The festival was basically a large grass field with two large metal platforms in either ends. Running the length of the field were various wooden stages of different lengths, wand even colourful mats for people to perform on. In the centre was a line of food stalls only half-way open at this time. Most of the performers were either teenagers or people in their early twenties setting up for their shows and displays. The more well-known bands in town, the kind that were really serious and regularly played gigs, and were even aiming for record labels would have a huge performance on the big stages on either ends later. The better band would get to sign with a record label for one album. Basically, it was their ticket to fame, and whether they admitted it or not, the stakes were increasingly high.

"Lu-chan, you're almost an hour late! Where were you two?" Levy asked worriedly.

"I think we all have a pretty good idea." Cana smirked, eyeing the pair's ruffled appearance. They were panting from all that running to the festival. Lucy tried to fix her wind whipped hair, while Natsu flopped down on the grass, panting.

She shot her a glare. "We ran all the way from the station. Get those dirty thoughts out of your head!"

"Yeah yeah, so you guys ready to rock?" She asked excitedly, pumping her fists in the air. "Are you ready to get wild?"

"Uh, no thank you..." She replied warily.

"Oh come on, where's your spirit, Lucy?" Mirajane complained laughingly.

"Hey Mira," she greeted. "How's your leg? You really shouldn't be walking around with an injury like that."

"Oh please, you sound just like Laxus. I had to force him to let me come. Too bad flattery doesn't work on him..." She grumbled.

Lucy giggled. "But you're a demon seductress."

"And he's an angry blonde tsundere." Evergreen cut in. "It took him _years_ to just realise his feelings for Mira."

"Well I wasn't all that sharp either." Mira reminded her, laughing. "In fact I was pretty dense when it came to things like romance. Just like you, Lucy, actually."

"I-I'm dense?"

"Obviously." Cana interjected. "I wouldn't have taken that long to realise the sexual tension -"

"S-s-sexual tension?" Erza cried. "Lucy I did not think you were that kind of a girl!"

"I'm not!" She protested, embarrassed.

"Oh please, Lu-chan. You were wearing Natsu's jacket yesterday! Don't think I didn't notice!" Levy accused.

"Th-that's because it was first one I saw!"

"I'm with my Lucy on this one. She can do so much better than Natsu, honestly!" Loke said, his glasses flashing.

Lucy shot him an irritated glance. "'My Lucy?' Are you asking for me to beat you up?"

He shot her a strange expression, one she had seen before. Except back then, it hadn't been directed at her. And then like a lightening flash she realised it. "L-Leo?"

His eyes widened a fraction, but he didn't comment. "Actually I'm a Pisces. What about you?"

"That's not what I -"

"Lucy, come on! These guys are doing a cover on Zeyd!" Natsu yelled out from ahead.

"Zeyd? Awesome! Wait up, pyro!" She cried out, running to join him. Just before she disappeared into the crowd, Lucy glanced back at Loke, who was hanging back behind the rest of them, a haunted expression on his face. _This proves it,_ she realised, her mouth set in a grim line. _Leo and Loke are the same person. But who is he really? I mean, before that night, none of us had seen him before!_

"I'll have to find out." She decided determinedly. "Maybe then I can get over what happened that night..."

"Lucy!" His voice seemed almost distant now, and she hurried to catch up with him. Finding the truth was one thing, but she was here to have fun. And with her friends, she didn't want to upset them with her information, especially so soon after the Phantom Lord incident.

As for Zeyd, Lucy had been following the rock band for months, except none of her friends liked their music. And then she met Natsu, who was blessed wth the same crazy music taste as her. Zeyd consisted of five members; Emma - the brown haired British bass player with blonde highlights Lucy envied, Ayumi - the lead singer with an extremely powerful voice, black hair with purple and dark blue streaks and a cheeky smile, Ryan - the platinum haired singer cum guitarist, Yuu - the brown haired drummer with glasses, and Zake - the White haired keyboardist with piercings in both ears. Their music was amazing, delving into topics aimed at individuality. That was Zayd, and that was why Lucy loved them so much.

She skidded to a stop next to Natsu, who was talking to a brown haired boy with glasses and a guitar. His frown lessened when he saw her. "Lucy, can you play the guitar?"

"Eh? No way." She said firmly, placing her hands on her hips. "What shenanigans are you up to this time?"

"It's not for me, it's for them!" The pink haired boy protested. "Shenanigans, huh?"

"I guess I'll just call him." The other boy decided. "Thanks for the tips though, man. I'll look forward to seeing you there!"

"Definitely!" He called out as the boy began to retreat back.

"What was that about?"

"Their guitarist is helping his girlfriend give birth." Natsu replied deadpanned. "They needed a substitute. Once I mentioned Laxus, cause that guys a guitar god, the guy was grovelling at my feet for help cause Laxus was the one who taught them and he's kinda like their mentor. This performance is to impress him, by the way. I told them to choose better role models than our resident Pikatchu."

"That's a little confusing, but okay, go on. You said there was performance -"

"They decided to do it last so they can find a sub. Wanna see those guys over there?" He said, his expression bored.

And so the performances and the partying continued, until it was time for the final performance by Natsu's friends, kind off.

Lucy, Levy, Erza, Natsu and Gray were the only ones in the front row waiting for the performance. The others had ditched them for the food. _Typical..._ Anticipation and excitement hung heavy in the air. Colourful lights were switched on as three tall silhouettes came into view. The brown haired boy winked at Natsu, and then started to strum his guitar as the spotlight shone on him. Behind him, the drummer started playing as well, the spotlight moving to him and then the bass player came into view.

He had sharp red eyes and messy black hair. Piercings graced his head and arms, and he was wearing a simple black jacket and jeans.

Lucy felt Levy stiffen beside her, her hands curling into fists. Her breathing was shallow but rapid. Cold fingers encircled her wrist. "L-Lucy. Can we leave? Now!" Her tone was urgent, her eyes haunted.

Wordlessly Lucy nodded, allowing the shorter girl to weave past the crowd until they reached the entrance of the festival. Levy fell to the ground, her knees giving way beneath her. Her face was free of tears, but her eyes were shining with fear.

Lucy bit her lip, feeling shaken at the sight of Gajeel on stage, ready to perform.

"Isn't he supposed to be in jail?" Levy asked, her tone stricken. "Why is he home free? Why, Lucy, why?" She was having trouble breathing.

"Sh, Levy, relax. I need you to breathe okay?" Lucy squated down next to her, placing her hands on Levy's shaking shoulders. "Breathe, he can't hurt you alright, Levy?"

"He knows where I am." She muttered. "He-he knew I would be here, Lu-chan. He just wants to see me like this. I bet he's laughing!" Her voice was hysterical now, tears running down her face.

"Levy, Levy, listen to me!" Lucy said loudly. "LEVY MCGARDEN, GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF!"

"Huh?" Levy glanced up at her, shocked. Her breathing was still rapid, but at least she wasn't in hysterics anymore. "Lucy, I -"

Lucy moved forward, wrapping her arms around Levy's shoulders, hugging her tight. "I just feel so helpless." Levy muttered. "Is this normal?"

 _"Is this normal?" She repeated desperately. "Gangs, drugs, kidnappings and threats? Is this supposed to happen? Am I supposed to feel so - so helpless?" Lucy couldn't help it as tears leaked from her eyes._

 _"It's okay." Natsu managed to say. "I'm not gonna say that this is a bad dream an' you'll wake up tomorrow perfectly fine. But things will get better, kay'? Levy needs you to be strong. You gotta be brave, alright?" He replied._

The memory struck Lucy in a flash. "Levy, this isn't some bad dream where you'll wake up totally normal, okay? But I can promise you things will get better. You can't give up, you need to be strong, alright?" She repeated.

Levy nodded, breaking away. "I'm sorry. This is so stupid."

"No it's not. It's perfectly normal, you hear?" Lucy reassured her. "We can leave right now if you want?"

"I still can't face him, Lu-chan. Does that make me weak?"

"You're standing up, facing the world. And one day, you'll face him. Just-just not today." Lucy said, smiling encouragingly at her. "Oof!"

Levy tackled her best friend into another hug. "Thank you, so, so much!" She squealed. "I love you, Lu-chan."

"I love you too, Levy, even though you're obsessed with Sailor Moon."

"Take that back, you meanie! Sailor Moon rocks and you know it!"

"Sure, sure." Lucy mocked, her face turning serious with the next statement. "Levy, what happened? I-I don't mean to sound so untactful, but I'm just curious, and more than that, worried. We're all worried about you, and it's mainly because you won't tell anyone what happened."

"I told Master -" she protested.

"But we're your friends Levy! Or at least Erza and Gray and the rest are. They're all worried sick about you, even when you're trying acting like normal. This has affected you, but it's also affected _them_ , because they all care about -"

"I know." Levy whispered sadly, her head bowed down. "Erza's like this big sister who won't stop worrying. J-Jet and Droy - they've got so many injuries, I can barely face them. A-And even then, they're only worried about me, not the fact that they can barely move out of bed." She fixed her doleful eyes on Lucy's face. "Do you really want to know?"

"I want to help you, Levy." Lucy replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And if that means going through all those painful details, then I have no qualms about it."

"Look at you, using all big words like that." Levy smiled. "Must be my influence. Alright Lu-chan, listen and listen well, cause I'm not planning to repeat this all over again. "

"I was waiting for Jet in the stadium, by the bleachers. You were busy cheerleading, and that's when I got the first message." She pulled out her phone with the battered orange case, showing the message to Lucy.

" _'Levy McGarden, it's an honour to finally converse with you after observing you for a long time.'_ " She read aloud. " _'Your jealousy with the new girl has lead to you immediately forming a friendship with her. Despite your 'issues', you were surprisingly successful. Scoff all you want, but I've monitoring your every move. What's the matter, are you afraid your pet lackeys are going to be swayed by her, just like the rest of your friends? Poor McGarden, you've always been insecure, not to mention all the issues you have with commitment. You might've fooled your so-called friends, but it's blatantly obvious to me. Your afraid you're going to end up like your parents, a failure when it comes to steady commitment - or should I say a 'relationship'. That's exactly why you rejected those twerps didn't you? I know you McGarden, much better than you know yourself. Signed Kurogane.'_ " Levy ended with a deep breathe, flashing a rueful smile at the blonde sitting cross legged on the grass in front of her. "It gets worse, but before we continue, you should know that everything about you in that message was _a total lie_."

"Don't worry, I trust you." Lucy said, confused about the message Levy had just read.

"As for the commitment issues, well, we need to dig deep into my past." She sighed. "My parents started dating when they were twenty-one, almost at the end of college. One thing lead to another, and they hooked up a couple of times. Eventually they broke up, but a few days later, my mom found out she was pregnant with me. The condition was delicate, so abortion was too dangerous. My grandparents convinced them to married for my sake after college, and for two, three years after my birth, they tried to take care of me. But they were still young, and they both started cheating on each other when I was five. I would often walk into my dad with his arms around a woman who wasn't my mother, or stumble upon my mom kissing a guy who wasn't dad. They'd both beg me to keep quiet, until they eventually divorced two years later. My mom ran away with her boyfriend on a cruise to some tropical island, and my dad moved into a smaller apartment, selling our house. Neither of them wanted anything to do with me, and left me in a foster home. They'd come visit sometimes, but I was already broken beyond repair."

"I saw my parents get divorced, and I began to hate relationships, because someone always got hurt. In their case, it was me. I also became afraid of committing myself to anything. I didn't want to be tied down, I wanted to be free. I began reading any book I got my hands on, it seemed dependable and trustworthy, thrusting yourself into a world where you could leave whenever you wanted, where all the sadness and heartbreak didn't exist. Eventually the foster home shut down, and I found myself in Fairy Hills. I met Jet and Droy, and Erza and the rest. I had a real home, but even then I always shied away from relationships. Jet and Droy were the only exception, but I still have issues, in particular with dating. That's why I end them before they turn into something serious." She shrugged, "I guess I couldn't have handled it, anyways."

"I-I shouldn't have asked." Lucy started.

"I needed to talk about this anyways, so don't worry." Levy insisted, managing a watery smile. "Back to Gajeel, the messages only continued, getting worse. I tried to find out who he was, and eventually I realised the truth. The messages stopped for a while, beside Gajeel ambushed me in the street. He walked over to where I was crouching in that alley, and whispered close to my ear. I'll never forget those words. _'You're all alone, aren't you?'_ I tried to run, but he grabbed me and pressed a wad of chloroform against my mouth. Not hard enough to knock me unconscious, but enough to make me feel woozy. He whispered to me to pretend to faint, and then carried me to his car. I don't know why I cooperated, it's not like I had much choice of the matter..."

Lucy stood up, holding out a hand for Levy. "I'm sorry for making you to through all that. We should get going."

"It's all right." The blue haired girl smiled, accepting her hand. Brushing dirt and bits of grass off herself, she frowned. "But the next part's confusing."

"What do you mean?"

"He took me to their Academy instead of HQ, saying something about he wanted to make sure I was found. Forced me inside that chamber underground and told me to stay put. I started to struggle, I think I cracked and lost it for a while cause that part's a little foggy. Gajeel injected me with this serum to put me to sleep. I asked him if he had been behind all this. I asked him why he did this. I expected him to say revenge, or maybe so they could win or-or maybe even come up with twisted reason. Instead he-he said it was because he _didn't care._ "

-/-

They missed the train back home. _Almost._ Lucy was the last one to clamber aboard as the doors shut. Erza and Gray had taken the two seats in the corner, Loke, Cana, Levy and Evergreen were seated across them. Natsu, Laxus and Mirajane were sitting beside the doors.

Lucy looked around for a seat, but the train was full of exhausted people from the festival. However suddenly, the train started to move with a jolt, which caused Lucy to stumble back from the force of it, as she fell in Natsu's lap with a thud.

"Ahh! I'm so sorry!" She squeaked, embarrassed. "Don't worry, I'm getting up now -"

The train was moving almost too fast for her stand up and grasp a pole or something.

"Lucy, just stay put until the next stop." Erza advised sharply. "We can't have you getting hurt for standing up in a moving train."

"B-But -" the two protested.

"Enough! It's not a crime to sit in someones lap, Lucy!" She scolded. "And Natsu, stop pulling that stupid face -"

"Why bother, it's not like he'll get any uglier!" Gray interjected, smirking.

"Oi!" Natsu exclaimed angrily, swinging his fists as tried to get up to fight the raven head. Except he forgot about Lucy, who fell off his lap with a surprised 'kya!', pulling him down with her in a crumbled mess.

"Lucy! This is all you- Ahhh!" The train rounded a curve as the fallen amour slid across the train floor, bumping into a pair of combat boots belonging to Gray, which Lucy learned left a particularly nasty looking bruise when her back slammed against them.

"Ooof..." She groaned. "Natsu get the HELL OFF ME!"

"You get your leg off me!"

"That's your LEG!"

"Are you BLIND, woman? My feet don't have bright pink NAIL POLISH!"

"This isn't the time it discuss your sexual orientation, NATSU!"

"Well, you started it!"

"Ugh, this is useless! A little help please, you useless people sitting up there, laughing at US?"

"You gotta admit though Lucy, you do look funny."

"No more than you, pyro!"

"At least I'm not the one crushing your lungs cause I'm so fat!"

"Did you just call me FAT?!"

"Argh! C-Can't breathe! Stop tryna' CHOKE ME!"

"You deserve to die, now get off ME!"

"You move first, clumsy!"w

As the banter continued, Levy glanced at the other passengers, stifling her giggles at their shocked expressions.

"Any chance we go help them, uh, untangle?" She asked.

"Nah, leave them." Gray said. "They really are idiots..."

Laxus grunted, his headphones ever present while Mira looked positively gleeful. Cana was drunkenly snoring, Erza was eating a strawberry tart she bought from one of the stalls and Loke was - he looked deep in thought for once, despite the fact that a very pretty girl was sitting next to him and eyeing him up. Levy snorted, _some friends they were..._

Eventually the two shut up, and Levy wish she could take a picture of them. Lucy was sitting in Natsu's lap, fast asleep, her hands locked around his neck as she snuggled into him. Natsu's scarf had partly fallen past his neck and covered Lucy's shoulder instead. He was asleep too, his head tucked in comfortably between her head and shoulders. His hands held her in position, tightly grasping her waist.

Mirajane was already swooning. As soon as the train reached another stop, she jumped out of her seat, and crouched down in front of them, happily taking picture after picture.

A middle-aged man entered the train, zeroing in on Mira's currently vacant seat. He sighed happily, moving closer to it, when Laxus glanced up, one eye closed, the other glaring menacingly at him.

The man almost jumped out of suit, and ran out of the almost shut doors of the carriage, yelling something about how he'll take the next one instead. Laxus smiled a self satisfied smirk.

"Everything alright, Laxus?" Mira asked, coming back to her seat.

"Yup." He grunted.

She smirked proudly, pressing her lips against his briefly. "That's my boy."

Despite the fact that they were sleeping, Natsu and Lucy who were siting besides them shivered. "Devils..." They murmured sleepily. "They're the devils..."

Lucy pressed her head closer to Natsu's chest, and he wrapped an arm around her, sighing sleepily. Mira squealed in joy before Laxus took advantage of the lack of space between them and kissed her again, effectively shutting her up.

 **I'm so, so, so sorry for not updating for three weeks. I had a lot of events in school, plus studies and, uh, I had no idea what to write either. This isn't my best effort. Hopefully next update will be faster! ^_^ Please Review, and special thanks to JessGirl (I don't remember your exact username, but I love you!) for your review which made me squeal for ten minutes. Thanks! REVIEW.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Asleep in Strange Guys Laps

Chapter 9 - Asleep in Strange Guy's Laps

Somedays, Lucy would wake up to pancakes and maple syrup, or maybe even waffles with blueberries, and if she was lucky, Virgo's signature bacon and hash brown fry up. Considering the fact that the maid had been away for quite a while now, the poor blonde had to contend with cereal. Or maybe not -

"I swear if I catch sight of you two _anywhere_ near my kitchen, I'll neuter you!" Lucy cried out in exasperation, shaking the box of cereal on top of her bowl. Nothing came out. Not even those tiny particles of crushed cereal.

She sighed, shoulders slumping on her kitchen counter. She had played an unexpected host to Natsu and Gray at breakfast yesterday, and they had practically emptied out her fridge. "I guess they got to my cupboards as well..." She muttered.

She frowned at her bright blue bowl. It was the perfect size for having breakfast in. It kept her milk cool in the summers, and warm in the winters. It was easy to wash, uh, gently place in the dishwasher because she was a spoilt rich girl after all. The colour wasn't too gaudy or overly colourful that it rendered her blind. It wasn't too dull for when the mornings got to depressing. It was a perfect cerulean blue; the colour of the clear sky, the colour of the ocean stretching out into the horizon, the colour of freedom, perfect for having breakfast in before she went to school - wait weren't schools the opposite of freedom? Lucy groaned. _I need to buy a new cereal bowl. Green this time, or maybe a nice, sunny yellow..._

She shook her head. "I swear, I act like Natsu sometimes, the idiot's starting to affect me now. I mean, do I really look like I give a fuck about the colour of my _cereal bowl_?"

"And now all this milk's gonna be wasted..." Lucy realised. Spoilt rich girls weren't totally careless after all. Her phone beeped. It was Levy.

 _Lu-chan, don't forget the book!_

Lucy smiled at her friends eagerness. _Typical Levy behaviour..._

 _Don't worry, I'm bringing it. Currently in_

 _middle of a breakfast crisis..._

Levy replied back almost instantly.

 _Oh god, what happened? Natsu and Gray_

 _again?_

Lucy smirked. Levy knew her so well...

 _Uh, kinda. Now I'm stuck w/ a bowl full of_

 _milk & NO CEREAL! _

Exaggeration and dramatics were what Lucy was best at.

 _You have Oreo?_

Lucy raised an eyebrow. _So?_

 _Yeah, why?_

She placed her phone on the counter, pulling out a packet of Oreos. Lucy felt stupid. She was going through all this trouble, for BREAKFAST.

 _Use ur brain Lu-chan! Oreos n milk?_

She let her head fall down on the counter with a thwack. Twist and Lick, Dunk and Chomp. Every kid knew that. Except Lucy that is...

 _Uh, feeling like a dumb blonde... Thnx_

 _Levy-chan! Ur a genius!_

After a rather hurried breakfast, since she wasted so much time with her dramatics, Lucy quickly hurried for school, running around her apartment in search of her books.

Grasping her pink satchel across her shoulder, she slipped on her shoes, trying to grab her phone at the same time. Lucy overbalanced, and landed on the floor, pens and loose papers falling out from her bag.

"Not really graceful for a cheerleader, huh?" A deep voice rang out. Gray was standing in her doorway, his school uniform surprisingly still intact. Then again, he hadn't even reached school yet, and it was way too early to start stripping. Yes, there is a particular time and mood for stripping, but for Gray, it's more than just a habit. It's a way of life.

"Did you just pick the lock?" Lucy accused, hoisting herself up, papers clutched in either hands. She was balancing all three of her pens in her mouth, and the word "pick" sounded more like "lick" and "lock" sounded more like... Yeah, you get the idea...

"Oh god, that's disgusting, even for you!" Gray chided, his tone amused. "And you didn't even lock the door. Do really want thugs to just waltz in?"

"Thugs like you?" She asked wearily. "Since you're barging in too. What do you what, breakfast? You finished all my cereal, oh speaking of food. Where's pyro?"

"Track team practice." He replied shortly. "Nah, your breakfast's safe, _for now..._ "

Lucy groaned. "You owe me a box of cereal."

"Deal." He agreed, shaking his head at her. "Actually I'm here to walk with you -"

"Walk to school with _moi_?" Lucy asked, battering her eyelashes. "Oh I'm honoured!" She mocked.

"Ugh, there was actually something I wanted to discuss with you, since you're a girl after all." He admitted gruffly.

"Oh, did you just realise?" Suddenly a grim thought occurred to her. Leaning close to him, she put on a deathly expression. "You're not gonna ask me out, are you? Because, sorry, I only think of you as a friend. You're too _cold_ for me, no offence."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, no way, NO WAY!" He protested, waving his hands around for emphasis. "You're too _preppy_ for my taste!"

"Hmmph..." She scowled. "I'm preppy?"

"Duh, cheerleader." He regained his composure. "You're like an annoying little sister who keeps troubling me."

"That's so mean." Lucy retorted. "First you ask for my help, then you insult me?"

"Hey, I'm offering you my company." Gray said, trying to pacify her. "Now can we leave?"

"Oh I'm so grateful..." She grumbled. "Let's hurry."

The weather was cloudy that day, the air heavily humid, but no rain so far. Lucy was thankful. She didn't need to get soaked before she even reached school.

"Okay, first of all, Loke." Gray started.

"Huh, what about him?" Lucy asked, her eyes scrutinising him carefully.

Ever since the festival, her feelings about Loke had been very... suspicious to say the least. She was certain he was the same boy from that night, and she had heard of him before from Karen. Leo - Blue Pegasus's Lion. The guy with the best connections, the best leads, the one who always got your job done. Despite his flirtations and charm, Leo had an air of mystery to him. He was much more complex than he seemed. Karen liked that. Sure, he looked good with his arm around her, a perfectly polished golden trophy to show off. But he was just as resourceful and cunning, though maybe more humane than Karen. So far, he was more towards the perfect guy for her, so Karen had to snatch him.

He didn't mind. Karen was gorgeous, and at first sight, looked deceptively innocent. Bright green locks framed her heart-shaped face, her hypnotising brown eyes boring into your soul. Karen loved being the centre if attention, laughing and chatting with her so-called friends. She loved to dance, which was why she decided to become a cheerleader. Yet, she could be sadistic and cruel, particularly to those she considered inferior to her.

Sorano was close to Karen, but their friendship was more of an alliance. Karen's family wasn't overly rich or influential like the rest, so she depended on Sorano to help her create the perfect rich girl image. Sorano needed her power, that's it. Back when she was in Spirit Academy, Lucy had been almost sixteen. Sorano was seventeen, in her last year, but Karen was older. She had already graduated. She hadn't picked out a prestigious college to study in, no Karen had joined Blue Pegasus full-time. She was like a mentor to the cheerleaders, often throwing party after party at her place. Sorano was always there and a part of her actually cared about Karen. And even though she would have never admit it, Karen liked Sorano's brash personality. It wasn't like she had any shortage of admirers though. And then, that night at the party, when Lucy had first met 'Leo', everything changed.

"He's been acting real off lately, since you guys first met." Gray replied. "I mean, he seems distracted and worried. Not to mention distant."

Lucy bit her lip. Gray was more observant than she realised.

"I first I thought he might have a crush on you, since a playboy like him has never been in love." He continued.

 _That's not true._ Lucy thought. _He didn't bother to tell his friends about Karen?_

 _Well, neither did you!_ Her conscience erupted.

 _B-But, I barely know them!_ She reasoned, tilting her head to one side to make a point.

 _Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that..._ Her conscience reminded her smugly. _These 'strangers' are the ones who save you, these 'strangers' are the ones you try to save. You even let these 'strangers' into your apartment._

 _Oh that's not what I mean!_ She thought angrily, waving her arms in protest. _Stop picking on me!_

Lucy, in her haste, forgot all about Gray, who was staring at the angry blonde with wide eyes as she waved her hands expressively, lips twitching as though she was having a silent conversation with someone.

 _Or do you normally fall asleep in strange guys' laps?_

"Ahhh! I didn't mean to, I didn't meant to!" She burst out, cheeks flaring. "I was sleepy! And he was so warm and the train, ugh there was no space on the train!" She whined.

"Uh, Lucy?" Gray was staring at her like she was some kind of madwoman. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" She insisted. "I was just, uh, _talking to myself..._ " She mumbled in an undertone.

He looked like he didn't believe her for a second, but he shrugged and let it pass.

"Okay... Back to Loke, he kinda freaks out when he sees you. When I asked him, he said he had no idea who you where, but I think he's lying." He said quietly. "That's guy's super close to me, and he's always helped me out when I was in a tight spot."

Lucy smiled. "You guys care so much about each other, it's kinda cute."

Gray rolled his eyes, ignoring her jab. "Something's bothering him, and I think you might know the answer."

The blonde bit her lip, defeat weighing down on her. She figured Loke was trying to avoid her because of Karen. Because she was there that night. But how could she explain all that to Gray, without telling him everything about herself?

"I don't really know Loke." She lied. "But maybe he just feels wary of me? I mean, I'm the first member of Fairy Tail in a long time. You guys have opened to me pretty much, but I guess he's just not that type?"

"He was fine before. It's from Saturday that he's been acting weird." Gray reminded her, worried.

A pit of despair grew in her stomach, guilt wallowing her body. Here Gray was so worried about Loke, and she was pretty sure she was the reason why. She could tell him everything, it wouldn't matter. Resolve worked its was into her heart. She would tell him everything. "Gray," she started. "You see, the thing is -"

At that very moment, his phone vibrated, interrupting her confession. Lucy didn't know whether the Fates were being cruel, or extremely generous.

"Ugh." He groaned, holding up his phone for her to see. "This is the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Someone had called him five times since they had left for school. A girl. "Laura?" Lucy read off the screen, squinting in the sunlight. "Who's Laura?"

"This girl who sits next to me in art." He revealed, his expression annoyed. "Clingy to the point of irritating, knows absolutely nothing about subject and does nothing but praise me."

"Praise you?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

"'Oh Gray that's an amazing painting!' or 'Can you teach me to draw like that?' It's super annoying!" He groaned, mimicking the girl in a high pitched voice.

"Oh come on, so she has a little crush on you. What's wrong with praising you? You are a good artist." She smiled, enjoying the comically red flush on his face.

"But the canvas was empty both times." He protested hotly. "And she isn't at all artistic. All she does is giggle and fix her hair, or talk about how 'hot' I am to her friends. It's painful to experience." He shuddered.

"Wow, Levy was right. You really are a dweeb when it comes to girls." She realised, a smirk on her face.

"Hello? I'm trying to have a heart to heart here!" Gray protested, his face flushing in embarrassment.

"Hmmm, you don't seem like the type to share your feelings a lot..." Lucy remarked thoughtfully. "Though it's actually easier to talk about your personal stuff with someone who doesn't really know you all that well. I guess it's cause they won't be able to judge you or compare it with your past behaviour." At his sheepish expression, she smiled. "I'm not a philosopher or something, I actually read it online when I was trying to check my horoscope for the month. Don't ask." She ended, threateningly.

"Yeah, but what should I do? I mean, she's so fucking irritating at times, not to mention so-so prissy and spoilt..." Gray trailed off. "I sound like a total jerk don't I?" He sounded so mournful, that Lucy could help but giggle.

At his imminent glare, she hid a smile. "No, no you don't sound like a whiny little girl at all." She quipped. "Is it really that difficult to tell a girl to fuck off? I mean you give off the whole 'don't mess with me' vibe!"

"Wait, she'll leave if I tell her to? Isn't that too easy? I mean, she might take it the wrong way -"

"Gray!" Lucy exclaimed, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "I thought she was, and to quote 'fucking annoying','prissy and spoilt'. You really a dud when it comes to girls, I swear..."

Gray shrugged, his scandalised expression morphing back into blankness. "You're a scary species." He muttered.

They were nearing the school gates now, and Lucy had had enough of the poor guy's indecisiveness. "Okay, first of all!" She called for his attention. "If there's something bothering Le - I mean, Loke - then he'll tell you. Alright?"

Gray nodded meekly. "Anything else your highness?" He enquired sarcastically.

"Oh you have no idea." She mocked him, pointing to his shirt. "You dropped your tie."

"Ugh," with a groan the poor raven haired boy walked the length of the sidewalk, finally returning with his grimy tie clasped in his hand.

"Second," Lucy continued. "Just tell Laura the truth. There's no point in leading her on."

"Fine..." He agreed passively.

"And thirdly,"

Gray looked at her in confusion. "What now?" He groaned.

"You are the biggest worrywart I have _ever_ seen!" Lucy accused him. "I mean, Natsu is _sooo_ much more laid back. I get it you're the responsible one, but you should be more like him!"

"Of course you would say that." Gray grumbled. "You _like_ him." He said, in a poor imitation of Fairy Tail's resident matchmaker.

"Don't ever do that again!" Lucy scolded him, flushing for no reason.

Laughter bubbled up in his throat. Even the most impassive people had moments.

-/-

The blonde had barely crossed the threshold of her school, when a certain pink haired pyro decided to call her.

"Luigi. Gym. Now!" He commanded.

Lucy rolled her eyes. She was used to his impulsiveness. "No."

"I ain't asking you. I'm tellin' you, Luigi. Gym. Now." He repeated bossily.

"What's gotten into you?" She demanded. "The only time you're so blunt is when you're in a hurry or when you're excited. And, that only happens when... Oh no way, bro, hell no. I'm not gonna be your accomplice in whatever _stupid_ prank you've come up with _now_!"

"But-but I'll promote you from accomplice to partner in crime!" He insisted childishly. "I promise!"

"No means no, Natsu. And that's final."

"I had a feeling you might resist. I'm already done with one prank. I snuck in itching powder in the cheerleading team uniforms. Am I awesome or what?"

A cold shudder ran up Lucy's spine. "You sneaked itching powder in _Mira's uniform_?" She hissed. "Are you crazy? Do you want to die?"

"Fuck..." He swore. "See this is why I ask for your help. So that you remind me of all see little things. I'm blaming this on you though, Luce. One partner shall take the fall for the other!" He proclaimed.

"Oh hell no! What you did was a solo mission! This was suicide for you, and you know it!" She yelled.

"Lushy! I need your help!" He begged. "Save meee!"

"How about no?" She snapped, a vein twitching on her forehead.

"But then who'll teach you chemistry?" He reminded her, much more calm. "And who'll save you from when you fall out of four storey warehouses?"

Lucy scowled. "Need I remind you that I was held captive? I would've jumped -"

"Yeah yeah, but what about the uniforms?" He cut her off impatiently. "We have to do something about them, right?"

"There is no 'we'!" Lucy corrected him, placing a hand in her hip. "Gimme one good reason why I should help some one like you..."

"Well, if you don't, the I'll tell Erza you're the one who prank called her last night." He retorted gleefully.

Lucy slapped her palm against her forehead. "That was you -"

"But she doesn't know that!" And with that, Natsu hung up. He was positive she would come to help. Why wouldn't she?

And sure enough, five minutes later an annoyed Lucy trudged to the gym, scowling. "You owe me."

"Yeah yeah!" He brushed her off, gesturing to the cardboard box in his hands. "I threw them in here! Let's trash them -"

"No, no way!" Lucy grasped the other corner of he box. "We're gonna get these cleaned. Understand?" She asked firmly.

He gulped under her laser stare. "You want _me_ to wash them?"

Lucy sighed. "You can be so dumb sometimes, I swear. Just take them to a dry cleaning shop! I'm sure there's one in the area!"

"You want me to go now?" He asked incredulously. At his words, the bell rang signalling first period.

"We don't exactly have a choice." Lucy crossed her arms, a frown on her face. _Great, just great! Natsu could be so forgetful sometimes! Thank god they didn't have practice today..._ "Go now!" She placed her hands on his shoulders, steering him in the direction of the back door. "I'll cover for you!"

Steps echoed in the hallway. "Go, go!" She whispered.

Natsu nodded, sending a mock salute her way as he disappeared out the back entrance. Lucy shook her head in exasperation, smoothing her hair down nervously. The second bell rang, and with a start the blonde hurried for her class.

Classes went by, and lunch period came around. Mission Laundromat was successful, and they would take the secret of the itching powder with them to the grave. The dahlias in the courtyard were in full bloom, and the crisp air that nipped her cheeks was a signal that summer was officially over. A sense of normalcy fell over them as they sat and talked, worries and fear far far away. Gentle teasing, playful insults and bubbly laughter filled the air.

"So," Lucy ventured. "Any ideas on how to break this to my dad?"

"Things like this always require a rather direct approach..." Erza replied thoughtfully, finger under her chin.

"I don't get it. What are you waiting all this time for?" Natsu asked, his tone heavy with sleep. His arms were crossed under his head as he lay on the stone pavement if the courtyard. "He's gonna find out anyways."

"If he wanted to, he would have." Lucy reminded him, her tone bitter. "The reason why he hasn't bothered to call me all week, is because he simply doesn't care."

"My, my. Don't you sound like an angsty teenager." Gray remarked offhandedly. For the past fifteen minutes they had all been listening to Lucy rant about her father, but Gray wasn't the best at offering sympathy.

"Be glad. He'll send you back to that weird boarding school if he found out..." Levy said sadly.

"Oh don't worry Levy!" Lucy turned to the blue haired girl, feeling guilty. "I'm not going back without a fight!"

"That's the spirit Lucy!" Wendy cheered her on. "I'm sure your father will be considerate of your feelings."

"I'm sorry." The blonde apologised. "I've done nothing but complain -"

"Nah, we should be the ones apologising. I mean, you've got daddy issues, but we never did. So we have no idea how to help you deal with them." Natsu interjected, cracking a single eye open.

Erza smiled. "Don't worry. Whether you need moral support or someone to rough up your dad, we're there for you!"

"There'll be no roughing up required!" Lucy said hurriedly. "But the support is very much appreciated!"

"You know, I never realised," Levy started. "But you speak in such a formal manner sometimes Lu-chan."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "I do? I guess it's because that's ho was taught to talk to all the guests at the monthly balls."

"Monthly balls?" Gray repeated. "How high profile is your family?"

"Um... Well my dad runs the railway mainly. The stations, the carriages, everything. And the metro that runs in the cities too. And he's also a partner in the airline my friend Yukino's dad earns. Plus now he's expanding to Veronica, which is why he's away a lot. Since most of the staff is being relocated, he decided I should move out of the mansion too -"

"M-M-Mansion?"

"Umm... Yeah. We've got a mansion in Crocus, one in Acalypha, the Heartfilia estate in the countryside and a couple penthouses in Margret Town and Hargeon. The condo my dad has in Magnolia is on the other side of the city, so he got me this apartment but he's always complaining that it to way too small. He forgets that I'm the only one living there." She grumbled in low tone.

"W-Woah, j-j-just how rich are you?" Natsu sputtered.

"It's not something to be proud of." Lucy insisted. "I don't want to be treated differently because of it."

"And you won't be." Erza agreed, glancing at the rest of them, who nodded eagerly.

"Definetly not!" Natsu roared. "Spoilt girls aren't welcome here!"

Gray slapped him with his bag, hitting him square in the face. "Way to be tactful!"

-/-

Lucy blinked sleepily, her hand under her chin the only thing preventing her head from falling on the desk with a _thud_. Math class had never been so boring. Everything her teacher said literally flew over her head. The only person in this class with her was Erza, who had disappeared for a student council meeting again. From where she sat, Lucy could see even the kids in the front row were struggling to comprehend - she shuddered - _trigonometry_.

Turning her head slightly, she could make out the boys in the last row very much asleep. She brushed some hair off her face, stifling a yawn.

"Now for this question, you can use the sine rule or even tan if you use the Pythagorus Theorem to find the opposite side-"

 _Sign? Signs to get a tan? In this weather?!_ Lucy shook her head from spewing nonsense. _I'm delirious..._

"Ms. Heartfilia! What do you think the answer to this question could be?"

Lucy cursed under her breath. "Uh..."

"Come on up and solve it for the class, now would you?" Her teacher insisted, holding out his board marker. The girls on either sides shot the blonde sympathetic looks. Lucy frowned. She was screwed and she knew it. There was no way she could solve _that_ without getting help somehow.

She willed her feet to move and every step felt laden with fear. _This is the day I die!_ She decided dramatically.

Standing in front of the class, Lucy gripped the marker, studying the figure in front of her. It was a triangle, inside a triangle... Wait, was that _another_ triangle? And there were all sorts of dotted lines connecting one corner to the next. Lucy tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh come on," the teacher encouraged her. "We were just discussing this! Can anyone else help Ms. Heartfilia?"

Lucy flushed in embarrassment lest someone volunteer, but to her relief, no one did.

The teacher - Lucy didn't remember his name, Mr. Gagers? Tagers maybe - scrunched his eyebrows. "Class? I've already taught you this! Didn't any of you understand?" He asked impatiently.

He glared at Lucy as if this was all her fault. "Well? Give it your best shot."

Lucy bit her lip. Curse math. Curse her stupid teacher. Curse trigonometry. Curse -

"Ms. Heartfilia? We don't have all day." He interrupted her inner monologue. "Get a move on."

 _Natsu was right. I should've just bunked math..._ She thought grimly.

The door opened with a start, and Natsu walked in purposefully, a note clutched in his hand. "The principal wants to see Lucy." He announced and her heart gave a leap of delight. _Yess! No more math!_

"I'm sorry," her teacher said, sounding not at all sorry. "Ms. Heartfilia is busy."

Lucy scowled. She wanted to ask him what crawled up his ass and died. She refrained.

"It's urgent." Natsu insisted, looking annoyed as he handing the note to him.

Mr. Gagers- Tagers, whatever - scowled glancing at the note. Lucy shot Natsu a relieved look. No more math!

"Alright." He agreed. "She can leave as soon as she solves this."

Lucy's glance turned helpless, and Natsu couldn't help but smirk slightly. So Miss Perfect sucked at math, now did she?

"Oh come on." Natsu tried being a good friend. "She can solve it when she comes back."

"No one's leaving until I get an answer!" He persisted stubbornly.

Natsu scowled, snatching the marker from Lucy. Quick as a flash he wrote down equation after equation under the figure. "Put it in your calculator an' you'll get the answer."

"I asked Ms. Heartfilia to solve -"

"You wanted the answer, and ya' got it." Natsu interrupted. "Come on Luce, Makarov's waiting."

Lucy hurriedly followed him out, eyes wide. "That was surprising on soooooo many levels."

"Well, he was pissing me off. Come on, he's waiting." He urged, quickening his pace.

"Why what happened?" Lucy asked curiously.

He smiled grimly, eyebrows scrunched up as though something was bothering him. "See for yourself!"

"W-What do you mean?" She asked, worried. "Is everything alright?"

"What do you think?" Natsu asked rhetorically, picking up the pace to Master's office.

"Natsu!" She protested, annoyed at his vague behaviour. Fear crept into her mind.

What if-what if her dad had found out? Taurus and Sagittarius – her body guards – were still compiling their report on Fairy Academy, and it was only their fondness for Lucy which had prevented them from spelling the beans of her kidnapping to her father. She knew she couldn't hide it forever, but Lucy wanted to be the one to gently break it to her father. After all, it wasn't the first time she had been kidnapped. But it _was_ the first time her bodyguards had not come to her rescue. Lucy knew she couldn't say goodbye to the Spirits. Some of them had been there for her since her mother's death, and more were added to the entourage every year.

Taurus had started guarding her since she was six years old, in the presence of her mother. He was a dark, bulky man in his early twenties, who had lived much of his life in the country, the southern parts Fiore in fact. He was extremely awesome and relaxed about what she was up to unlike most of her bodyguards, often making perverted comments about 'Miss Lucy and her friends'. Lucy smiled softly. Regardless, she knew how much the body guard cared for her, like an older cousin perhaps, often trying to protect her. He also stood up for her and supported her when ever he could, even if it meant rebelling against his employer.

As they embarked the hallway to the principal's office, Lucy's curiosity got the better of her. She placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Would you quit it with the whole mysterious act?" She demanded impatiently. "It's getting _really_ annoying."

"You wanna know what's annoying?" He hissed, turning to face her, eyes flashing with rage. "I'm already pissed off, don't make me take it out on someone who doesn't deserve it, kay?" His eyes softened slightly. "Just-just try not to let this affect you to much."

His words didn't lessen her worry. Lucy gripped his hand, allowing his warm palm to submerge her cool fingers completely. "Please don't tell me my dad's there." She pleaded. "I can't face him yet."

Before Natsu could reply, the door burst open. Natsu quickly let go for her hand, stepping back a few feet. "Relax." He whispered.

Lucy nodded, turning to the doorway where Erza was standing purposefully. Her set features relaxed as she caught sight of the blonde. "We've all been waiting for you. Maybe you can do something about this."

Lucy raised her eyebrows in question, but Erza only smiled encouraging at her in reply. She willed her feet to move forward, her hand still warm, and entered Makarov's office. It was the same as the last time she had been in there, the brown cushy sofa, the wooden desk cluttered with papers in one corner, sunlight shining in through the large window. Principal Makarov was sitting on his desk, perched on the one place miraculously free with paperwork. Gray was leaning against the wall, hands crossed against his bare chest, a scowl on his face. The door slammed shut behind her as Erza and Natsu entered the room. Erza took her post standing aside the wooden desk, carefully assessing the reason that caused so much tension, while Natsu hovered a step behind Lucy.

Fidgeting on the couch nervously was a blue haired girl, dressed plainly in a black sweatshirt and jeans, her hair limp as it hung past her shoulders. Her face was free of makeup, the worry lines, fatigue and dark circles clearly visible on her face. She kept twiddling her thumbs and jerking her knee, constantly glancing between Master and Gray, the latter of whom stubbornly refused to meet her gaze. She glanced at Lucy, pleading with her eyes. Lucy raised her eyebrows, before turning to the person sitting sullenly beside Juvia.

Her eyes travelled past the messy black ponytail, piercings and bulky frame, and the blonde let out a gasp, her palms covering her mouth. Gajeel. The last time she had seen him was when he was lying on the ground unconscious, Natsu shaking his head at him sadly. _Wha-what the hell, is he doing here?_ She thought worriedly, biting her lip. _Don't tell me-_

"Well," Master Makarov started. "I believe an explanation is in order."

"No shit." Natsu retorted sullenly, eyeing Gajeel with distaste. The boy glared back at him, until Natsu broke away under Master's stare.

"As I was saying, Juvia and Gajeel have been released from police custody due to major support from our side. Their trial has been set for two months later, and until then they have been let out on bail." He continued. "However, the judge has set two conditions on them. Firstly, they must join the Fairy Tail programme, at least until the trial. And second, they cannot be trusted to live alone."

"A trial?" Lucy whispered. _Oh right, kidnappings, harassment and even drugs. That isn't exactly legal now is it..._

"The judges are way too lenient." Gray remarked dryly, sneaking a glance at Juvia, who looked more troubled than ever.

"When it comes to cases like these, they have to be." He replied sharply.

"What do you mean?" Lucy had to ask.

"Cases which involve teenagers, especially orphaned teenagers who are backed by large organisations like Fairy Tail are too delicate to be treated like most." Erza revealed. "By indirectly taking responsibility for them, Fairy Tail involved itself with their case, and any misdeed of theirs will reflect badly on the our reputation."

"I get Juvia but why metal-head?" Natsu asked, flopping down in the floor to sit cross legged.

"That remains between Gajeel and I." The principal said in a no-nonsense tone. "However the matter of their housing remains an issue."

"But what about Fairy Hills?" Erza asked. "I'm sure there's enough space -"

"Not according to Porlyusica." He replied. "She made it plain that she does not approve of Gajeel and Juvia joining Fairy Tail. That's why I called you Erza, with your connections on the student council, I'm sure you can find a suitable accommodation for these two. I would prefer if they both stayed with members of Fairy Tail."

Erza nodded. "Natsu and Gray, don't you guys have a spare bedroom -"

"No we don't." Natsu interrupted bluntly, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Actually, it's really tiny." Gray lied. "So we converted it into a store room."

Erza raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but didn't comment. Lucy bit her lip, trying not to stare at the two. That look on Juvia's face, it was so familiar. One she wore all the time before. A mask of carefully concealed emotions. Like a dam almost overflowing with water. One wrong move, and it'll overflow. Lucy knew what it was like when you were in the dark. When you had lost someone close to you and you had nowhere to go. And then someone reached out and took your hand. You didn't care if they were good or evil, of if they were genuinely trying to help out it not. You were grateful for the support they provided. Sorano, Karen and the others - they had been there for her, even though she was nothing more than a pawn for them. Lucy gulped. After her dad had found out, he'd simply put her on house arrest. Lucy didn't bother to make an effort to escape. She was fighting a losing battle and she knew it. And yet, slowly she had gotten better.

And Juvia? It was pretty obvious it was the same case with her. How could Lucy _not_ understand what the girl was going through?

"I have a sofa bed!" She blurted out, wringing her hands together nervously. "It's not much but my apartment's pretty big and I definitely have enough space for two people. I really wouldn't mind if Juvia stayed over."

"For two, maybe even three months?" Master Makarov asked sceptically.

"It's no big deal." She insisted. "Honest."

"Lucy, this girl drugged your body guards." Erza reminded her. "And a lot more she isn't proud of. It doesn't matter if you've forgiven her. Your father is still the one providing for you. You should at least ask him."

"I will." Lucy agreed. "But I can't make Juvia wait that long."

Natsu and Gray exchanged glances, telepathically communicating without violence for once.

"If you're letting Juvia stay at your place," Gray started.

Natsu picked up where he left off. "I guess we wouldn't mind if Gajeel lived with us for a while."

 **Okay, so I know I passed the deadline for this chapter a while back, but that's because I wasn't sure AT ALL about what to write in here. The main focus point was supposed to be Juvia and Gajeel's entry into Fairy Tail but... I don't know... I'm still not satisfied with this chapter the least bit. I feel it's rambling in no particular direction –_–**


	10. Chapter 10 : Please Don't Hurt Me!

_**Chapter 10 - Please Don't Hurt Me!**_

 _"Like a small boat, in the ocean_

 _Sending big waves into motion_

 _Like how a single word_

 _Can make a heart open_

 _I might only have one match_

 _But I can make an explosion."_

 _\- 'Fight Song' by Rachel Platten_

* * *

"What!?" Lucy sputtered. "But just a few minutes ago you were so- "

"Would you rather have Gajeel stay over at _your_ place?" Gray interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Stop talkin' bout me as if I'm not there!" A gravelly voice rang out before Lucy could reply. "Don't I getta decide where I wanna go?" Gajeel asked, glaring at Makarov, who purposefully ignored him.

"As if you had a choice!" Erza retorted, her tone steely. "I, for one, think it's a decent idea. It will be much easier for me to supervise you three if you're all under the same roof." She glared at Natsu and Gray. "I'm sure you'll make Gajeel feel welcome. I'm not worried about Juvia and Lucy though." She glanced at the blonde, who offered the blue haired girl a hesitant smile. "Unlike some people, she's _responsible_."

"Erza." Makarov cleared his throat. "Would you mind taking Juvia and Gajeel down to the front office to get them registered?"

"Of course." She replied, bowing her head in respect. "Come on, you two. There is much we need to discuss as well." Eyes widened with fear, the ex Phantom Lord members followed the read head out if the office.

Natsu slammed his fist into his palm, a smirk on his face. "Don't worry, we'll welcome Gajeel alright."

For once Gray didn't argue with him, and only nodded in agreement, a smirk in his face as well. "Poor guy..." Lucy muttered. "Stuck with the two of you, he'll pass out at the sight of your rooms before you even get a chance to take him down."

"My room isn't _that_ messy, Lucy!" Natsu protested. "And it's not like you've ever seen it!"

"And yet you're already well aquatinted with _my_ apartment..." She sighed. "It's just, you scream untidy and messy!"

"I do not!" He insisted indignantly.

"Not literally!" Lucy groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I swear, you are so weird."

"Nuh uh! You're the weirdo. Letting random strangers into your apartment..."

"Oh, and Gajeel isn't a stranger?"

"Not to me he's not -"

"While this conversation has certainly been enlightening, at most," Makarov interrupted. "I suggest you brats get a move on."

"Oh they're like this all the time!" Gray complained. "Fire breath on one hand, never shuts up!"

"Oi Ice princess! Wanna say that to my face?" Natsu roared angrily.

Gray didn't flinch. "Guess what, I just did!"

Natsu responded with a punch, a sound crack resonating through the office. Lucy slapped her forehead. Well this was bound to happen sometime...

"NATSU!"

"E-E-Erza? When did you get back? I-I swear I didn't break Gray's nose. We're b-best friends, r-r-right? P-Please don't hurt me!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. _Typical..._

Weirdly enough, some time after that, Lucy and Juvia were excused and a taxi dropped them off on Strawberry Street. The blonde early lead the way, the blue haired girl shyly following her lead.

"So, this is my apartment!" Lucy said cheerfully, throwing open the heavy wooden door. She turned back to glance at Juvia. "Are you sure you don't want the bed instead? I can survive on the sofa."

"Juvia doesn't mind." She insisted, smiling for the blonde's benefit. "Not meaning to complain, but anything is better than those lumpy camp beds in the juvenile dormitory. Juvia is truly grateful to Lucy-san!"

Lucy giggled. "It's just Lucy. And what about your stuff? I mean, I have no problem with sharing my clothes or anything, and we can go shopping if you want?"

"Juvia appreciates it, but the court has frozen all of Ju- I mean, my - bank accounts. And all of my other things have been confiscated as well." Juvia shook her head. "It's no problem though."

"Of course not!" Lucy said firmly. "I have more than enough to spend on both of us, and you can always pay me back later. Besides, I haven't been shopping in _ages_!"

"No, no! It's really not a bother!" She protested.

"Nonsense! You and I both, need a little shopping therapy." Lucy rolled her eyes. "I haven't gotten a single moment to relax since I moved here two weeks ago..."

"It's only been two weeks?" Juvia asked, astonished.

Lucy smiled sheepishly. "Yup. Come on, I need to change, and you are definitely not going out in those ratty jeans!"

Juvia pouted, following Lucy into her bedroom. "They were standard issue at the dormitory where Juvia was held."

Lucy flung open her wardrobe, fingers skimming past row after row of clothes. "Well, now you don't have to! So what's your style, huh? Are you like, more into short dresses and skirts, or skinny jeans and those cute cropped jackets? Or do you prefer really casual stuff?" Lucy held out a dusty blue floral top in one hand, a plain black elbow length top in the other. "Well?"

"Uh, actually..." Juvia trailed off, unsure. "Juvia used to wear dresses all the time back in France -"

"You lived in France?" Lucy asked, astonished.

"Oh yes, Juvia loved life in Marseille. They were the best twelve years of my life..." She said wistfully, flopping down on Lucy's bed. "After that, in Phantom Ju-I pretty much lived in my training clothes for the first two years. A-And then..." Her expression turned sour. "Juvia was forced to go on jobs. To places she didn't like. Hurt people to get what Jose wanted. And wear clothes Juvia felt uncomfortable in. And now, Juvia doesn't mind at all what she wears."

"Juvia," Lucy bit her lip. "If this were a scene in a movie, I would already be in tears. Those bastards so don't deserve a sweet girl like you."

"You know, " she admitted, blushing. "That black shirt is kind of nice..."

"Great! Now let's see. I'd wear something red with that." Lucy mused, a red pleated skirt and red skinny jeans already in her hands. "I think the skirt will look kinda cool, don't you?"

"But it's already Autumn -"

"Excuses, excuses!" The blonde scoffed. "Fine you can wear the jeans instead but at least go change! And you're more than welcome to take a shower if you want. And then we _ARE_ going shopping, I don't care if you don't want to, Juvia Locksar, but you will come with me. ALRIGHT?" She scolded.

The poor blue haired girl only nodded, before running to the bathroom to escape Erza's sister.

Lucy smirked, satisfied. "Now all I've got to do is talk to dad when we come home. On the bright side, I'll at least get to see the sights of Magnolia before dad relocates me..."

* * *

 _*clink*_

Juvia stiffened as the bottle of shampoo hit the tiled floor. To her it sounded like those metal handcuffs tightly locked around her wrists. The sun was shining down on her. In the background Juvia could make out the Fairy Academy students creating a ruckus as they lifted the trophy proudly. All the bystanders were watching her though. The same people who had held in regards with fiery respect and fearful admiration. They now looked down upon her with shame.

 _"If you plan on joining us, the first thing you have to remember, is that at the end of the day, each man is for himself."_

"Each man for himself." Juvia whispered, her body shaking with revulsion. And yet, she had agreed to abide by Jose's twisted principles. He was her last hope. He had reached out to her, unlike the hundreds of others who left her to die.

 _"Forget all that nonsense about never leaving a man behind. You are yourself, and you don't have time for anything fickle. I'd rather have half of you who valued your life rather than none of you who threw it away."_

Jose was selfish. He only cared about himself. And the were all the same. They were all in for the thrill. For the pleasure. For the fights. Even Gajeel. But not Juvia. She wasn't the only one out of them who wanted to survive, but there was not one minute she spent in Phantom Lord regretting ever taking Jose's help. Only for her own petty revenge. Tens and hundreds of other members were high half the time Juvia talked to them. The only person who ever bothered to care for her was Gajeel. He might be a bastard, but they had a relationship of respect after she knocked him out when she was fourteen.

 _"You'll never get anywhere in life with that attitude! Stop staring at the rain, it won't help you get better at stakeouts. If it weren't for your stupidity when you went to save that boy, you wouldn't be sitting here with a broken arm!"_

It was Juvia's first job and she had almost gotten caught because she went back tor a comrade. After the way Jose punished her, Juvia never bothered to try ever again.

 _"I don't care if it's four a.m in the night. I told you if you failed, you'd have to do a thousand push-ups before I let you back inside. Now get to it, it's my fault you got back so late. Might teach you a lesson or two!"_

Push-ups with the drops of rain weighing her down. It was torture for fifteen year old Juvia. But that was what changed her. That was when she accepted that there was no turning back, no escaping. Juvia was no longer the sweet, caring girl she had once been. The sparkle in her eyes had slowly diminished along with her bubbly laughter. And that night she became nothing more than an emotionless robot. Blank, just like Gajeel.

 _"Crush that Heartfilia girl. Crush them all, and I promise you, I'll let you go. I'll give you the freedom you desire so bad! You wouldn't last a day out there, but I don't really give a fuck. You might be nothing but a disappointment, but you'll have to do. Destroy them Juvia!"_

The very person she had set out to destroy, was the one reaching out to her? One of the first to forgive her, the first to help her. All that kindness... It seemed to good to be true. Juvia shook her head, allowing the freezing water to clear her head.

"Juvia has been given a second chance." She whispered. "And Juvia will not let it go to waste."

Outside in her bedroom, Lucy twirled in her black top and high waisted black and yellow zigzag skirt. It was short sleeved, with a sweetheart neckline and paired with patent black flats, but she looked like the girl on the cover of a spring magazine. She paused halfway, to check for Juvia, who was still showering, before kicking her shoes of gracefully as she flopped on her bed. Good riddance, they pinched at her toes anyways...

Swiftly she pounced back up, pulling on plain black sheer tights and a long black jacket with fell to her thighs. Designer ankle boots that didn't hurt her feet, and a brightly patterned scarf for a burst of colour. She pulled her hair out of its signature half-side pony thingy, adding a small hair clip to hold back her bangs instead. Lucy eyed herself in the mirror with a smirk. _Damn, I look good!_

And then Juvia stepped out, her hair loose around her shoulders. "Uh, Lucy?" She called out hesitantly. "Are you sure it's okay for me to wear -"

Lucy pouted. "It's not problem. And you look perfect!"

The girl blushed. "Thank you. But -"

"But nothing. Here!" Lucy held out a long denim waist coat and black leather ankle boots. Hopefully she and Juvia were the same size. "Now come on. Let's rock this town!"

The girls shopped hard in the High Street of Magnolia, until they literally dropped in a nearby cafe for refreshments. Lucy took the opportunity to tell Juvia all about Fairy Tail, and warn her about what not to do from her own experience, make a bet with Natsu for example (he always won...), or touch Erza's cake (never again!). Realising it was past seven, the two decided to walk home quickly.

"And then, he screams 'Juvia! Get it off me!' And when I turn around, he's got this pink goop all over his face, two cucumbers stuck onto his cheeks. Juvia remembers she laughed so hard, she spit all of her mango smoothie on his face."

Lucy paused on the street, gripping the lamppost tightly to keep her from falling over in giggles. "G-Gajeel did that?"

"It was his very first pimple." Juvia remarked in mock sadness, her lips twitching with amusement. "The poor boy had no idea what to do."

"H-h-how did you get it off?" Lucy asked between chuckles

"Since it was winter, the the mask had hardened too much, so we had to use a lot of water, and literally scrape it off. We had a mission in the next day and Gajeel had tiny cuts all over his face because of the mask."

"He must have been an awful roommate though..." Lucy sympathised.

"Oh you have no idea..." Juvia agreed. "He was such a slob!" She murmured in French.

"Oh of course, you must be fluent in French." Lucy said in the same language thoughtfully.

"You speak it as well?"

"Dad made me take extra classes in French, Latin and Japanese." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"When I came to Fiore, I couldn't speak English at all! I was just staring at everyone cluelessly until I taught myself." Juvia revealed, preferring to talk in her language. "That's why I talk in third person, even though I try not to. I never really mastered pronouns, even now..." She smiled sheepishly.

"Woah, you taught yourself?" Lucy reverted back to English. "I had such a hard time just learning to pronounce French correctly!"

"It wasn't easy." She replied. "But Juvia gradually got the hang of it."

Lucy smiled despite the cold wind nipping her face. "Can I ask you a question Juvia?" She asked bluntly. "Why did you join Phantom. I mean, it's clear you were miserable there."

"Juvia did not know Lucy was so blunt." Juvia remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, since we're living together, Juvia might as well tell you. Juvia joined to get revenge."

Lucy gripped the strap her brown suede bag tighter. "Revenge?"

" _Oui_ , it's a long story," Juvia began. "Back in Marseille, a drug dealer wanted to recruit my father since he was a government official, but he refused. They kept bothering us, until we moved to Fiore as a last attempt. They had some connections here as well, and convinced a gang known as Raven Tail to kill my father. They broke into our house one day and killed them both. Juvia was hiding upstairs, but they never bothered to look. Jose found Juvia and promised he would help her."

Lucy nodded. "At that time, it must've felt like -"

"Relief. Nothing but relief and support."

"Trust me," she whispered. "I know the feeling."

"Jose also said that Raven Tail was linked to Fairy Tail, and Juvia should avenge her parents..." She trailed off.

"By crushing them?" Lucy finished. Juvia nodded. "That bastard, I swear..." Lucy muttered, wrapping her arms around the girl. "I'm sorry for asking, Juvia."

"It's okay. Now both Lucy and Gray-sama now the truth. And so does Master. Juvia really trusts you all, don't worry. Juvia's been given a second chance. And I will not let it go to waste."

After the rather heartfelt scene, the two girls hurried home, weighed down with bags of clothes, shoes and other products Lucy had coerced Juvia to buy. It was seven-thirty now, and Lucy quickly pulled out a spare blanket and pillow for Juvia, converting her sofa into a bed with the touch of a button. The blue haired girl changed into her new purple pyjamas and jumped into bed insisting she needed a quick nap.

Lucy only shook her head at Juvia, an amused smile on her face. _I'm glad she adjusted so quickly. Then again, everyone adjusts quickly into Fairy Tail._ She glanced at her phone. There were two texts and one missed call from Levy. Lucy bit her lip. _I guess everyone listened to Master and didn't tell anyone else yet... However Levy must be worried since I left school early to take care of Juvia. I should call her -_

Lucy shook her head in frustration. It would be better to tell Levy about Juvia and Gajeel tomorrow. But there was one person she needed to talk to. Lucy sighed and grabbed her phone, pressing one on her speed dial.

She waited until Capricorn picked up and convinced him there was something urgent she needed to talk to her dad about. Lucy sighed as Capricorn passed the line to her dad. Yup, her dad was so high profile all his calls went through his secretary...

"Lucy, is everything alright?" Her dad sounded distracted, and from the distinctive tapping sounds Lucy could tell he was working.

"Hey Dad. Actually there was something important I needed to talk to you about -"

"Do you mind if we Skype instead? I'm already waiting for a video call, so in mean time there are somethings I want to tell you as well."

 _Oh crap... What if he knows already?_ Lucy clamped her lips together in worry. "O-okay. Gimme a second."

She hung up and ran back into her room, shutting the door for Juvia's sake. By the time Lucy reached her laptop, her father was already calling her.

"Hello Father." She greeted, pasting a smile on his face as her dad came into view. Jude Heartfilia, railway and real estate tycoon, regularly appearing in the monthly issue of Fiore Business Magazine either giving an interview, giving advice or - much to Lucy's horror - on the cover page. Her father wasn't the kind to keep a low profile, but he wasn't the flashy sort either.

"Lucy, have I not taught you proper etiquette?" He asked sternly, raising a blonde eyebrow, his grey eyes stormy.

"I don't understand -" She started, confused.

"Gimme a second." Her voice rang out from across the speakers. "What was that word Lucy?" He father asked, playing the recording again. "You know I record all my conversations. That was an informal manner of speaking."

"Sorry, it slipped out." She muttered, glancing down, her cheeks flaring with embarrassment.

"Well it better not happen again." He replied dismissively. "And what did you want to say?"

"I-I was kidnapped." She started.

Jude Heartfilia nonchalantly shuffled some papers on his desk. "Yes, I received a call from your body guards. Apparently they were subdued by a gang called Phantom Lord who kidnapped you for ransom. However they tracked you down, after which you attended a sports festival in your school to keep up an appearance. That's all there is to it, correct?"

Lucy's mouth fell open. 'The Spirits changed their side of the story to protect me...' She realised.

"Is everything alright?" He persisted, raising his eyebrows as he leaned forward.

"Oh uh, I was just surprised that they told you before I could." She regained her composure. Lucy wanted to dance around her apartment in joy. "Oh, and dad?" She started. "I wanted to tell you one of my friends recently moved here, so I'm letting her stay at my place for a while."

"Okay," he replied, not really listening to her as he focused on his laptop. "I've scheduled a photo shoot for you in two days. We can't have the public forgetting Lucy Heartfilia now can we?"

"Ph-photo shoot?" Lucy sputtered. "Didn't we agree that I'd stay out of the public eye now? It was a different thing in the mansion, dad, but here no one remembers Lucy Heartfilia the celebrity."

Her dad raised an eyebrow. "And you're implying that a a good thing?" He asked skeptically. "No one has seen you since the summers and there's a lot of unfortunate speculation that I want to put away as soon as possible."

"Dad, I'm not interested in any of that!" She protested. "I don't want my face plastered on some magazine and people coming to me for autographs when ever I'm in town."

"You agreed to cooperate with me after that incident with the cheerleaders Lucy." He reminded her. "You have a certain image and you have to uphold it. I've told you many a times how delicate your position is."

"But dad-"

"No further discussions Lucy." Her father said. "Good bye."

Lucy pressed her lips together, slamming her laptop in frustrations. _Just when I've had settled down in Fairy Tail, dad has to spring this on me!_

* * *

Time passed slower than usual. Every second was killing her slowly. Lucy wanted nothing more than to escape math. Never had the drizzle outside seemed more appealing. For starters it didn't have a tenancy to drone on and on endlessly about things that never made sense to her. Her class was half asleep as usual. Math was never Lucy's strong point and after what she had dubbed as the 'Natsu incident' yesterday, she had taken to sitting in the very last row. Lucky Levy, who had physics first period. Oh god, even physics sounded better than math. Hell, even chemistry sounded better than math...

Lucy groaned, glancing at the people around her. One boy was even drooling... Lucy turned away, eyes wide with disgust.

Where was Erza when she needed her? Apparently some student council business. Again. Lucy blew a raspberry. Teachers were too scared of Erza to even ask, she was certain. _Why couldn't she take me with her? It's not fair!_ Again her thoughts turned to Levy, who had both Natsu, Cana and Bisca with her. All three, she though pitifully. _And yet I don't even have Gray or even Loke. Even that weirdo is better than math, I swear..._

Even Mira and Evergreen were seniors, and Lucy had no one to share the burden known as math with.

"Oh and just so you guys know, there's a pop quiz on this in my next class, which is two days later." Her teacher announced smugly. "Anyone with less than sixty percent will spend their afternoon with me in extra math classes, so come prepared." He swept a glance across the classroom, raising an eyebrow at the sleeping students and landing on Lucy, who visibly gulped. "Especially the blonde cheerleader." He remarked dryly.

Before he could continue any further, Erza marched in purposefully, her hair shining like a halo behind her as her eyes glinted with steely determination. _My saviour has arrived!_ Lucy thought gleefully. "I need Lucy Heatfilia to come with me." She announced.

"Again?" Her teacher asked skeptically. "Go on then."

Lucy bolted out of the classroom. "I love you!" She declared.

Erza laughed. "You won't for long."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"Come on, I actually do need to talk to you." Erza brushed her off, walking swiftly down the hall.

"Hey wait up!"

"Oh and Lucy," she said, pausing in front of the StuCo office. "The court cleared some of Juvia's things. So before you leave, just pick them up from my office, alright?"

"You mean, like her cellphone and stuff?" She asked quizzically.

"Something like that." The redhead replied, throwing open the door. Inside, the atmosphere was unnaturally tense. Mira was sitting on a sofa, a gentle smile on her face. Natsu was facing away from Lucy, so she couldn't see his expression. Lucy relaxed, pretty sure there was nothing to worry about.

And then, Mirajane turned to her, her eyes shining with malice. "Lucy! I've been waiting for you! Come, come sit!"

Lucy felt a shudder up her spine, but complied nonetheless, sitting in the very edge of the couch.

"Soooo, Lucy dear, you and Natsu thought you were very smart now didn't you?" Mira asked her in a sickly sweet voice. Her hair was tied in a very elegant fishtail, her fringe falling down into her eyes for once, making the silver haired girl seem more like a stranger than anything else.

Erza sat down next to Lucy, opposite Natsu, while Mira kept her eyes trained on the blonde.

"Wha-what do you mean?" Lucy asked hesitantly, breaking the deathly silence. She glanced at Natsu, who was steadfastly staring down on the floor.

"It's nothing much," Erza continued. "You see, Mirajane decided to get the cheerleading uniforms dry cleaned, like she does twice a month. But she couldn't find them anywhere."

 _Oh fuck..._ Lucy thought, her mind flashing back to Natsu's prank. _This day just can't get any worse. Maybe I can come up with some excuse or something. Like, like I was being charitable so I took up the responsibility of getting them cleaned._

 _"So I went to the dry cleaner's, and sure enough the uniforms were there, clean and fresh. However, the bill was massive." Mira continued, focusing her laser glare on Lucy. "So I called Erza."_

 _And this just keeps on getting better! How could I forget about this!_

"We interrogated the dry cleaning staff." Erza said with a smirk, rubbing her nails against her blazer. "And guess what?"

 _Oh no.._

"A Fairy Academy student, a pink haired boy to be exact, delivered the uniforms, which had liberal amounts of itching powder sprinkled on them." Mira hissed.

 _I should say my prayers right about now..._

"A prank obviously gone wrong. So we interrogated Natsu, and he immediately confessed. So, because you're new and because Natsu has been oddly well behaved for the past month, we'll cut you two some slack."

 _Oh thank the heavens!_

 _Or maybe not..._ Her conscious whispered back, as she stared at the school gym, holding her nose to prevent the stinky smell from reaching her precious nose. This was her 'punishment', cleaning the gym. Natsu stood beside her, balancing his weight on his mop.

"We just gotta mop the floor, right?" He asked.

"Yup!" Mira exclaimed.

"That's no prob!" Natsu replied excitedly. "We're gonna beat the world record for floor mopping, right Luce?" He placed his elbow in her shoulder.

"Do not make this a competition, idiot." Lucy grumbled. "It's your fault we're stuck here, during lunch."

"We can leave as soon as we're done!"

"Whatever." She gave up." And it's _Lucy_!" She shoved Natsu's elbow off her.

And that it when it went wrong. You see, Natsu was balancing his weight on Lucy, as well as on the mop. Now since mops are pretty unstable, the moment Lucy shoved him off, Natsu lost his balance as under immense force, the mop handle snapped too. He tumbled backward, reaching out for anything to help regain his balance.

Unfortunately the only thing in the gym near him was Lucy, and as soon his fingers reached for her, he ended up pulling her down as well.

Fearing the impact, Lucy shut her eyes, and when they burst open, the blonde found herself lying atop a pink haired moron.

"Didn't somethin' like this happen last week too?" Natsu grumbled, opening his eyes. "Oi, Lucy you're really heavy ya' know?"

"Shut up!" She said, sitting up on his chest as she punched him in the ribs.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed. "You've got a mean right hook, Luce!"

"I hate you!" She complained, punching him again her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. "You always manage to embarrass me, even though you don't _do anything!_ " Surprisingly, all the frustration she felt towards her father slowly left her body with every punch.

In a burst of impulsiveness, Natsu placed his hands against her stomach to try to stop her assault. It worked, kind of...

Lucy burst into giggles. "K-keep you hands away from me!" She cried, struggling to keep an angry expression.

But Natsu was on a roll now. He started tickling her sides, until Lucy had tears trickling down her cheeks, her face bright with embarrassment and her eyes shining with laughter.

"Th-that's enough!" She wheezed, trying to stand. "Please! Enough!"

"I had no idea you were so ticklish!" Natsu goaded. "Weirdo!"

"Shut up!" She said without fervour, pouting.

"Ahem." Mirajane, who the two had completely forgotten about, cleared her throat. "Even though it breaks my heart to interrupt you two..." She swooned, balancing her chin on a spare mop. Lucy raised her eyebrows. _Seriously? After watching this guy take the fall, you still don't learn?_ Then again, it was Mirajane. Even mops were scared to break in front of her...

"Get back to work!" The demon erupted, before waving cheerfully as she left the gym.

The pair shuddered. "How could I forget about the uniforms..." Lucy groaned, as she hoisted herself up.

Natsu followed suit. "You must've been busy with Juvia, right?"

Lucy nodded, shoving her mop into the bucket full of water. "Yeah. So and so were you and and Gray with Gajeel, right?"

The look on Natsu's face turned sour. "Oh, _him..._ He's nothing but a pain in the ass."

"Huh?" Lucy asked in surprise. "But, that can't be. Why'd you take him in if you didn't want to?"

Natsu shrugged. "Cause Master said so."

 _Wait, that doesn't make sense at all!_ "What do you mean?" She asked quizzically.

"Wait, you didn't know?" He asked, genuinely surprised. "That morning, waaaay before Metal-head and Julia -"

"Gajeel and Juvia?" Lucy interpreted, raising an eyebrow as she started cleaning.

"Yeah, them. Well, before they arrived, Master called us all to his office. Laxus, Freed, Loke, me and Ice Princess, even Alzack, Warren and the rest. Not Jet and Droy, even though they just got back. And then -"

 _"Well, I'm sure you're all aware of Phantom Lord's interferences that lead to quite a bit of trouble for Fairy Academy." Master Makarov started, twiddling his thumbs on his desk._

 _"'Interferences'?" Laxus scoffed loudly from the couch. "They tried to kill half of us."_

 _"Exactly!" Freed agreed as he began counting on his fingers, seated beside Laxus. "Harassing Levy McGarden, kidnapping her, beating up Jet and Droy, kidnapping Lucy Heartfilia, trying to attack our students at the Festival and even using knives on our students!"_

 _"Dude, Erza had a gun pulled on her, too!" Bickslow reminded him from his other side._

 _"And that blue haired chick went bat crazy with a sword, right Gray?" Max confirmed._

 _"However she was the one who helped us find Levy." Gray reminded him stiffly from across the room. "And you can ask Erza or even Cana how she lead us to Jose's office."_

 _"That's not the point!" Master interjected. "What I wanted to tell you all was that both Gajeel and Juvia have been released from police custody, albeit temporarily."_

 _The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. And then they all lost it._

 _"WHAT?"_

 _"What the hell is this?"_

 _"That bastard deserves to rot in jail!"_

 _"Gramps, did you have anything to do with this?"_

 _"We have an awful legal system..."_

 _The last one was, you guessed it, Freed. Although he was all for supporting Juvia's case, Gajeel Redfox was a completely different story. And so, the future lawyer opened his mouth against it. "Master Makarov!" He protested hotly. "Need I remind you that even before this incident, Gajeel has always caused trouble for the school. Be it vandalism, bullying our younger students or even picking fights with Natsu and the like."_

 _"Hey!" The boy in question protested._

 _"Unfortunately, Freed, those children still have a chance for redemption." Master insisted. "The judges decided to let all of them go, two came to Fairy Tail and the renaming have been sent to Margret Town and Hargeon. Now, which one of you would be willing to house Gajeel?"_

 _"What makes you think we'd ever welcome him, eh Gramps?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms from where he sat cross legged on the floor._

 _"You don't have to welcome him, but for the sake of finding out more about Phantom Lord, I feel it's important to keep Gajeel under my eye." Master said. "Jose might not have liked him, but that boy knows a great deal about the Underworld. I'd rather he'd stay with one of you rather than with me though, so as to give him a sense of freedom."_

 _"That bastard doesn't deserve a sense of freedom..." Alzack muttered, crossing his arms._

 _"We all respect your opinion," Master continued stiffly, "however, I'd appreciate if you all cooperated with me. How many of you would be willing to let Gajeel stay?"_

 _"Uh, Master?" Gray spoke up. "What's wrong with keeping him in Fairy Hills? He'll constantly be surrounded by us, and Porlyusica-san can keep an eye on him -"_

 _"Unfortunately, Porlyusica has already voiced her rather 'harsh' opinion on the matter and finds it in the best interests of you all to keep Gajeel away from Fairy Hills." He retorted._

 _"Huh?" Natsu asked, confused._

 _"Granny thinks he's a bad influence." Loke said with a smirk. "I'm glad I don't live in Fairy Hills..."_

 _"You have a single bedroom apartment, right Loke?" Gray asked him. "Why don't you let Gajeel- "_

 _"Actually, I'd rather Gajeel didn't stay with Loke." Master cut in. "And the Guild is already cramped as it is, and most of either live in Fairy Hills or with your parents like Alzack and Warren."_

 _"My mom already considers him a threat..." Max said, grimacing._

 _"Same." The rest chorused._

 _"I might be able to arrange something-" Freed started hesitantly._

 _"Oi, you don't need to pull any extra favours for that guy, got it?" Laxus cut in menacingly._

 _"Natsu? Gray?" Master called out expectantly._

 _"I'm sorry to say this, but Master, that would never work!" Loke spoke up._

 _"Yeah, these two barely get along as it is!" Macao's son Romeo, who had been quietly observing for the past half hour, protested. "I never met Gajeel, but from what you guys have told me, putting all three of them in the room would be hazardous."_

 _"Like three bombs just waiting to explode." Bickslow agreed._

 _"That wouldn't be manly at all!" Elfman protested._

 _Master pressed his forefingers against his forehead, trying to soothe a headache. This discussion was getting nowhere, and he knew that an argument was bound to erupt soon if he didn't intervene. He glanced at Natsu and Gray, who were both looking oddly thoughtful for once._

 _"Gray," he called out. "Your apartment is on Strawberry Street right?"_

 _"Yeah." He confirmed. "Top floor. Three bedroom apartment."_

 _"Aren't all the apartments only one or two bedroom there?" Freed asked him._

 _"Nah, we managed to nab one of the penthouses." Gray said with a small smirk._

 _"But we really don't have any space!" Natsu whined. "And metal-face will not stay in my workroom."_

 _"Workroom slash art studio!" Gray corrected him with a scowl. "It's not all yours!"_

 _"Well it's certainly not Gajeel's either!" Natsu protested. "He can take the sofa if he must!"_

 _Gray sighed. "Fine. He can sleep there, but if he wants food he has to pay for the groceries. We're already in debt with the grocery bills because of this idiot!"_

 _"Oi, who you calling an idiot!" Natsu protested._

 _"Shut up, Flame-brain!" Gray retorted, raising his fists menacingly._

"Woah, woah! Wait a minute!" Lucy interrupted. "That can't be possible. You two decided to let Gajeel live with you _in front_ of me!"

"Well, we couldn't let metal-head think we were forcing him into all of this." Natsu replied, shrugging as though it was obvious, diligently mopping the floor under Lucy's glare. "Gramps said we had to make it seem like it was a split second decision, otherwise Gajeel would've gotten a chance to gue about it."

"That's why only you guys were called to the office later!" Lucy realised.

"Yupp!" Natsu agreed. "Gramps also wanted to call you an' Erza for Juvia. He knew she wouldn't be so much of a problem. And if you didn't wanna let her live with you, then she would've let her stay at the Guild or something."

"That's pretty smart of you guys..." Lucy remarked. "But how is it? Living with Gajeel, I mean."

"I can't really say for sure." He admitted. "Bastard left five minutes after Erza dropped him off. Banged on our door at six in the morning, showered and left again. We didn't ask him where he went, and he didn't tell us either."

"Aren't you guys afraid he might be up to something suspicious?" Lucy inquired.

"Not really." Natsu acknowledged. "The police are still keepin' an eye in him. An' he not allowed to leave the city, or even go into the suburbs without notification. He can't really run away or contact anyone from the underworld without someone us finding out."

"I'm so glad Juvia's not like that!" Lucy sighed in relief. "We went shopping in town, I told her about Fairy Tail, she talked about Phantom Lord and then she fell asleep at around seven. You know what's weird?" Lucy realised. "The Gajeel Juvia talked about was totally different. She said he's a bit closed off and 'grumpy', but he's also fiercely loyal and trustworthy. Oh and a bit of a smart ass at times."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "I can't _ever_ see Gajeel Redfox as loyal." He grunted. "Much less trustworthy."

* * *

 **Hey guys! Yeah, I know, I'm late... Buuut, I had three weeks worth of exams so cut me some slack.*whimpers* No offence, though.  
**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I feel like we're really getting somewhere in the story. Next chapter will be more about Gajeel the angsty teen, I promise. I think my biggest fear is that I might end up writing Natsu and Lucy as too OOC...**

 **fairytailNL : I'm really glad you enjoyed the story! Your review makes me so happy! However your questions surprises me as most of it was what I had already written for this chapter by the time I got your review! I hope I answered most of your questions, especially as to why Natsu and Gray were so 'eager' to accept Gajeel. As for why Lucy is so kind towards Juvia, I hope this explained a bit, and I plan to elaborate on it further as well since these two are one of my favourite SisOTP's! Lucy has a single bedroom apartment, but the number of rooms on each floor differs. Some are studios, some one bedroom and some two. Each floor has seven apartments, with the last apartment (like both Lucy's and Natsu and Gray's) significantly larger. Oh and as to how Natsu and Gray scored a penthouse and why they were compelled to live with each other will again be explored in the later chapters!**

 **Please don't hesitate to voice out any of your queries guys! I'd love to hear what you thought about this Chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Haute Couture Material

**Chapter 11 - Haute Couture Material**

 ** _"Mummified my teenage dreams_**

 ** _No, it's nothing wrong with me_**

 ** _The kids are all wrong_**

 ** _The story's all off_**

 ** _Heavy metal broke my heart"_**

 ** _\- 'Centuries' by Fall Out Boy_**

* * *

Levy ran a brush though her hair, cheerfully humming a tune she had heard on the radio yesterday. It was sunny outside, she'd had a good night's sleep and her favourite book series was getting a television show. Nothing could got wrong today. Her phone beeped, seemingly jinxing her words and Levy's blood turned cold.

She gripped the hem of her uniform skirt to control the shaking, reaching out with her left hand towards her phone. She sighed with relief when she saw it was only Lucy's message, flopping back down to her bed in relief.

"I really need to stop overreacting." The bluenette said to herself, grabbing her smartphone with a sigh as she read the message out loud. "Hey Levy-chan. I need to talk to you. Meet me in the school library in half an hour?"

She glanced at the clock, shrugging. "I've got time. I'm sure I can make it." Grabbing her bag, she couldn't help but wonder what her best friend wanted to talk about.

* * *

 _"What!"_ Levy burst out, her book falling to the ground with a thud. She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, ignoring the stares of all the students in the library. In a burst of clumsiness, her red reading glasses previously perched atop her head, fell down on the floor as well. Lucy bit her lip, kneeling down to grab the glasses, which were mercifully still in one piece. She straightened back up, placing a hand on Levy's arm, holding out the glasses with the other.

"Uh... Levy?" She whispered in fear of the librarian with a crazy good sense of hearing. "Levy?"

The blue haired girl was seemingly still in shock, but allowed the blonde to drag her to the lumpy couch in the corner. Lucy gently sat her down, placing her book and glasses on the table in front of them. She fidgeted nervously in her place. _Maybe I should've kept quiet about this..._

"Levy." She repeated, shaking her shoulder gently.

That seemed to shake Levy out of her stupor. "Wha- " she mumbled, raking a hand through her unruly blue locks. "You-you're not kidding about this, Lu-chan, are you? Because that's a really sick -"

"Levy," she interrupted. "I'm not joking. Juvia _and_ Gajeel have been released from police custody and will be joining Fairy Academy from this week. They'll be here until their trial two months later." She echoed Principal Makarov's words.

"Gajeel is staying with Natsu and Gray, a-and I let Juvia stay with me!" She blurted out nervously. "I know I should've told you sooner, but Master said not to, and I wasn't sure how you'd react- "

"How many of you have been keeping things from me?" Levy's voice came out a lot sharper than she intended. "You, Erza I'm sure, Natsu, Gray, Mirajane even, I'm guessing Jet and Droy- "

"Jet and Droy don't know anything. Master said he wanted to tell you three in person." Lucy explained, feeling guiltier by the second. "We all were sworn to secrecy. But-but I didn't want to anything from you any longer Levy-chan. I'm already helping someone who tried to hurt you, I'd only make it worse by hiding it from you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I-I just couldn't bring myself to it."

"It-it's okay, I guess." Levy reassured her, feeling hesitant herself. "It's just, I finally believed I could move on from this incident. I made myself believe that I'd never have to see their faces ever again." She chuckled bitterly. "I guess this is Fate's idea of a rather cruel joke."

"Is there anything I can do?" Lucy started cautiously. "Any way I can help?"

Levy turned towards her, her face exhausted with worry. "I want to cry my eyes out. I want to go back home and lock myself in my room. I don't ever want to see his face again. But," she frowned, closing her eyes to prevent the tears from flowing. "I can't do that, now can I? I have to be brave. For their sake."

"Levy, you don't- "

"I went to visit them everyday at the hospital - watching their bruises, their wounds, their scars slowly heal. I saw what they did to those two. _My best friends_ beat up by those bastards. I've already forgiven them for what they did to me. But I'll never forgive them for daring to lay a finger on my _friends._ And I definitely won't _ever_ forget!" She vowed fiercely.

Lucy wrapped an arm around her. "I'm proud of you, Levy-chan."

The bell rang, and the two sprung apart in shock, before laughing it off. Levy wiped away her tears, and said that she won't mention anything about Gajeel to anyone, until Master told herself. Lucy agreed, before hurrying out of the library with her.

Their home room was bright and buzzing with activity. Gray and Natsu were turned in their seats, facing Lucy and Erza. Levy, who was supposed to be sitting in front of Lucy had instead swapped seats with Gray for a day. Cana, Loke, Jet and Droy were in different classes, and Bisca and Alzack were busy were their other friends.

"I've never been to a karaoke place!" Lucy was saying sadly, pouting as she did.

"No way!" Natsu exclaimed in disbelief.

"Seriously?" Gray inquired.

"It is agreed!" Erza announced with stars in her eyes. "This Friday we shall all go for karaoke so that Lucy may experience it for the very first time!"

"The Guild doesn't offer karaoke, does it?" Gray asked.

"Nope." Natsu replied, balancing a pencil on his nose.

Lucy turned towards the blue haired girl busy reading. "What about you Levy, you know any good places for karaoke?"

"Huh?" Levy glanced up, confused.

"Oi, what's on your mind?" Gray asked her. "You seem worried."

"Yes, you seem rather out of it." Erza realised. "What's the matter? If it's someone troubling you, I'll sort them out, no problem."

Levy flushed. "Oh it's nothing like that. I was just thinking about something."

Lucy narrowed her eyes at her. She had a pretty good idea why Levy was so worried. She didn't know how to face Gajeel. As far as Lucy had heard, both Gajeel and Juvia were joining the academy today.

"Excuse me?" Freed knocked on the open door, calling for attention. "Levy McGarden please."

Levy slumped in her seat, snapping her book shut as she walked out, dreading the outcome already. Lucy sighed, watching her best friend walk out.

"Master must want to tell her everything." Erza commented, once the girl was out of earshot. "I almost wish I had told he had told her earlier though."

"Mhhmm," Lucy agreed, a crease between her eyebrows. "She's not mentally prepared to face him, is she?"

"You'd be surprised." Gray interjected, "Levy isn't as delicate as people take her to be."

Erza nodded in agreement, glancing at him. "Remember the tree back at Fairy Hills?"

"The really tall one?" Natsu asked. "Damn, even you couldn't climb it back then!"

"Uhh..." Lucy felt lost. "What are you guys talking about?"

"There's this tree in the backyard of Fairy Hills. Well, there was ten years ago." Gray said, a wistful expression on his face. "We were all playing catch or something."

Lucy chuckled, imagining six year old versions of Erza and Natsu. It made her wish she had met them all earlier.

"Actually we were playing with a frisbee. Droy had gotten one from his father as a birthday present." Erza corrected. "He treasured the thing like anything, since he rarely ever got to see his father."

"Anyways," Natsu picked up. "There were these three guys sitting in one corner. Teenagers. We really didn't like them at all cause they always acted so moody and _boring_!"

"And then this idiot hit one of them with the frisbee and refused to apologise." Gray rolled his eyes. "So they that's tossed it up into a tree."

"Oi, it's not my fault they were being mean to me!" Natsu protested hotly.

"Anyways," Erza cut in forcefully. "None of us had the guts to climb up the tree and get the frisbee, and it was getting really dark out too. We were called in for dinner and shortly afterwards it started to rain. Droy was inconsolable and burst into tears. Levy had recently joined the orphanage, permanently unlike Droy, but she rarely ever talked to anyone. When she saw him crying, she raced outside in the rain."

"By the time we found her, we saw her climbing down the tree, frisbee clenched between her teeth. She was covered in scratches and bruises and was shaking in the cold. She was crying too, because she was so scared she might fall." Gray added.

"Ever since then Levy, Jet and Droy have been best friends." Natsu added. "And they'd do _anything_ for her."

"Wow." Lucy muttered to herself. "I had no idea." _She really is fearless sometimes..._

"I guess that's when we learnt not to underestimate her, or anyone else who appeared to be tiny." Gray, said with a smirk.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "She would kill you if she heard you calling her 'tiny' of all things!"

"Ahem!" Their home room teacher cut in, before proceeding to role call.

* * *

 _There really is no punishment greater than waiting._ Levy frowned, unable to remember the correct wordings of the quote. She didn't even remember which book it was from, but for some reason the words had a grave impact on her. A strange sense of anticipation and dread filled her veins, nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her heartbeat thumping into her ears. She played with the hem of her skirt, glancing between the door leading to the principal's office and the end of the hallway.

 _Why don't I recall something,_ she thought desperately, _to keep me distracted. L-like the star signs! Let's go by month, Levy. You can do it. There's Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries –_

Her inner monologue was interrupted as something metallic clattered to the ground. Her eyes widened as she turned around, scanning the floor for the object. Her hand instinctively reached up to her headband to confirm that yes, her fairy hair clip had fallen to the ground.

"Oh no!" She exclaimed, anxiety temporarily forgotten. "Where did it go?" Her eyes darted across the floor and she sighed in relief as she spotted it near the end of the hallway. Before she could walk across, Levy heard light footsteps and then a hand reached out to grab the shinny object.

He stepped into her vision, accompanied by two others. His eyes widened as he identified the object, and he looked up straight at her. He took two long strides until he was standing directly in front of her, clad in their school uniform. His mouth twitched into a rueful smile, as he held it out. "This thing keeps falling off. You should really get a new one."

 _"What is this, some sorta talisman?" He asked her, holding up her clip. "It felt out while you were sleeping."_

 _"Y-you could say that." Levy mumbled, holding off another yawn. She could not fall back asleep. "How long do you plan to keep me here?" She asked, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulder._

 _Gajeel shrugged. "Until the fighting above stops. In a few hours the festival will end, and you Fairies will probably win. Jose's gonna run an' you can leave." He explained. "Here, catch." He threw the clip, aiming straight for her lap. Levy sighed in relief as she pinned it back into her hair, while he went back to his meditation._

 _He glanced up, as though realising something. "That thing's gonna fall apart soon." He told her. "You should really get a new one."_

Levy gulped, the flashback hitting her with full force. She silently grabbed it, fixing it into her hair. "Thank you." She whispered, refusing to look at him.

Master stood behind Gajeel. "I'm sorry for the wait, Ms. McGarden. Come on in." He opened the door to his office, Juvia and Gajeel at his heels. Levy sighed and walked inside as well.

Jet and Droy joined them shortly, their eyes falling out at the sight of the two ex-Phantom Lord members but they managed to keep their cool.

Master kept it short and concise. He explained why they were now students of the Academy, and that the three needed to move on from this incident. Juvia and Gajeel apologised and they were all dismissed.

There were only fifteen minutes left until lunch break, so Levy ditched Jet and Droy and headed to the library. The peaceful atmosphere calmed her nerves, and the silence helped her sort her feelings.

The Phantom Lord incident had been a huge obstacle in Levy's life. She was harassed, stalked, bullied and verbally abused, and even kidnapped. Her mind moved back to the texts. They were what had hurt her the most. And today, Matser had revealed that the messages were a team effort.

"Gajeel typed out the basic message." Juvia had confirmed. "Aria and Sol added the abusive words and information meant to unhinge you. Totomaru added the spiteful tone while Juvia's responsibility was keeping them in check and making sure they don't go overboard."

All those hurtful words, neither Gajeel or Juvia could be blamed entirely for that. Levy was a forgiving person, and just like she said to Lucy she has forgiven them. But she had also build up boundaries. While Lucy and Gray fully trusted Juvia, Levy had the right to remain wary of her fellow bluenette.

 _It's not like I have to befriend them._ She reasoned _. They'll keep their distance, and I'll keep mine._

A person behind her cleared his throat. "Ah listen, McGarden." He said.

"Gajeel?" She unconsciously moved two steps further from him.

"I, uh just wanted to apologise." He continued, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I know what I did to you and your friends should've landed me in jail. But that old geezer - he saved my life. I don't deserve to be let off without any punishment, and you know that. But he's adamant on me leading a better life. I haven't ever done that, and I don't think I can ever really redeem myself or anything but, don't worry. I ain't gonna ever try and come in your way again. You've got friends who care for you, an' they would do anything to protect you. Just look at Heartfilia, she was injured and inexperienced but she still came to rescue you."

"Listen, I don't know what I was thinking when I started all this. When we kidnapped you, I kept you away from Jose cause I couldn't let him win. But, you made me question why I was even with him in the first place. Thanks. I know you'll probably never forgive me, but I can live with that. As long as I apologised, I know that I might've gotten my message across. I'm sorry, and I promise I'll stay outta your way."

His face was impassive, as was his tone and with a stiff nod he walked away. The bell rang a second later but Levy barely heard it. His words were echoing in her mind, however she was unable to process them.

* * *

"Gajeel!"

He whipped around, pulling his hands out of his pockets as he saw Juvia advancing. The bell had rang a few seconds ago, but that was the last thing on Gajeel's mind. He was just wondering what the hell possessed him to go up to Levy and personally apologise to her. And apparently, a simple 'sorry' didn't cut it. No, no, Gajeel was apparently an idiot because he turned a one word apology into a full blown rant. He was normally a man of a few words, and years under Jose's influence had taught him to only speak when spoken to.

But the look on her face when the old geezer was ranting on just made him feel so damn guilty. As though he had destroyed something inside of her. And Gajeel had hurt a lot of people, but never had he met someone like Levy who had made him think, _'dude, she doesn't deserve this shit'_.

"Uh, Gajeel?" Juvia waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?"

"Heh?" He shook himself out of his stupor, a resolute grimace setting on his face. "Me? I'm just dandy. Perfectly A-okay in this hellhole where Salamander will be the first to try to beat me to crap. And no doubt your boy toy's the second." He added spitefully, trying to ease some of the pent-up anger and frustration. "And then Heartfilia with swoop in acting like that flimsy whip is some sorta machine gun and you'll rush to her side cause you're all the best of friends aren't ya', Juvia?"

She scowled, her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Juvia only wanted to ask Gajeel if he was feeling alright, since she was worried about him. But seeing as Gajeel is back to being a bastard as usual, Juvia really should take her leave and spend time with people she doesn't know fully since her actual, _only_ friend is still busy throwing a tantrum."

"Oh come on, Juvia –"

"No, no not a tantrum, Gajeel." She interrupted him, hand on her waist. "What do you call it? Oh yes, you're in the middle of throwing a _hissy fit_. So go on, Juvia won't bother you. In fact, Juvia has much better things to do."

With a dramatic flip of her blue curls, Juvia walked away in a huff. A few feet away from where Gajeel was watching her retreating form, she bumped into Lucy, who worriedly asked her if she had seen Levy.

"No, Juvia hasn't." She replied earnestly, walking aside the blonde. "She was with us in the office, but when we were dismissed, Levy just bolted out of there."

Behind her, Natsu groaned. "Lushy! I wanna eat, I'm hungry!"

"Why not check in the library again?" Gray ignored the pinkette and offered a much more sensible solution.

Lucy frowned. "We already checked and the librarian told us that Levy left the library, remember? I tried calling her but she isn't picking up!"

 _Huh, she's not there anymore?_ Gajeel raised his eyebrows is surprise, before jamming his hands into his pockets and and reminding himself he didn't give a flying fuck. Besides it was best for him to go and find a dark corner for him to sulk in so that Salamander didn't notice him. The last thing Gajeel wanted was to be the centre of attention again. Unfortunately, fate can be oh-so-cruel at times. Or was it his karma finally coming back to haunt him?

"Oi, Metalhead!" Natsu called out. Gajeel ignored him. _Just walk away, Redfox._ He reminded himself. _Do NOT turn around and respond_.

He continued to walk away, hoping the pinkette would just shut up already.

"Gajeel!" A different voice called him.

"Gajeel, listen up!" Lucy repeated out, jogging towards him. She hadn't seen Levy after homeroom. Hell no one had besides these two, that is. "You wouldn't happen to know where Levy is, do you?" She asked him, forcing herself to look into his dark red eyes.

Gajeel scowled. "Why the hell would I know? Leave me alone, Heartfilia." He grunted rudely.

Natsu narrowed his eyes at him. "Dude, just answer the question."

"Please!" Lucy added, unable to hide the hint of desperation in her voice.

"I'm serious." He replied, irritated. "She was in the library last I saw her. I dunno where she is now."

"Oh, so first you had no idea about her, now you're saying you saw her in the library?" Lucy raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms against her chest determinedly.

 _Crap!_ "Listen, I really don't have time for this sorta' stuff. Go interrogate someone else."

"You know, it's really stuff like that which makes you all the more suspicious." Gray spoke up. Juvia was standing silently beside him, her gaze fixed and to the ground. A stab of irritation flared up in Gajeel at the sight of his comrade against him.

"Did ya' guys ever think that maybe she doesn't want you all barking around her like puppies?" He said scathingly. "Cause just five minutes with you guys, and you've annoyed me to the limit. So do me a favour and don't come to me for any of this shit. You stay outta my way, and I'll stay outta yours, okay?"

"There is a big difference between you and Levy!" Natsu reminded him. "And don't think we _wanted_ to talk to you, you bastard!"

And then something inside Gajeel just gave way, like a dam bursting open after all the pressure. He walked two steps forward and punched Natsu straight in the face. He heard Lucy gasp, but what shocked him more was the smirk on the other boy's face when he withdrew his hand.

"I was waiting for that." The pink haired boy replied, before swiftly moving forward and kicking him in the gut.

Gajeel was vaguely aware of students gathering around them, and Lucy and Juvia backing away. Gray stood close, ready to jump in just in case.

He and Natsu were equally matched, that he was certain of. Dodging each other's attacks, launching swift offensives but barely ever landing a hit.

"It's not fair!" Natsu called out. "Last time you didn't even give me a proper fight, I'm glad you're back in the game this time though."

"Shut up! That was when I was under Jose. That doesn't count!"

"What do you mean by that?" Natsu paused to contemplate his words, allowing Gajeel a swing at his head. He winced at the impact, but didn't react.

"Oi, what's the matter?" Gajeel stopped his barrage of attacks to stare at him. When Natsu didn't reply, he baited : "Had enough, already?"

"Far from it!" Natsu replied. "You were never working for him at that point, were you?" He smirked, holding up his fists. "It all makes sense now."

Gajeel scowled, bracing himself. "I don't work for no one." He defended himself.

"Yeah right!" Natsu goaded." I remember, before you used to pummel people to the ground at his orders and now you suddenly defying him? Clearly –"

"I have my reasons." Gajeel interrupted stonily. "And you're no one to question me!"

"Correction," Gray stepped in. "we're you're flatmates. Second, we're all in the same school, and third we have to take responsibility for you until your trial. So yeah, I guess we pretty much _do_ have a right to question you." Gray's left arm darted out, grabbing hold of his collar in a death grip, his eyes meeting Gajeel's with unwavering confidence and courage. _I dare you to not answer,_ his eyes said, _cause I know you can't. You're not gonna run away again, are you?_

Gajeel felt the anger leaving his body, feeling a similar gaze emitting from Natsu. He set his chin, stubbornly. "I said, I have my reasons," he repeated. "But I promise you, I mean no harm. _This time._ " A smirk unintentionally lit his face.

They seemingly understood, and Gray let him go, a glimmer of respect in his eyes as he watched Gajeel's retreating form.

"What the hell was that." Lucy spoke for both girls as hey stared at the boys.

"Bro code." Gray said, enjoying the looks of annoyance on their faces. "Seriously though, that guy has a lot of issues, but he's safe. For now."

"At least we got a good fight!" Natsu smiled at the thought. "I'm all fired up now!"

"No, you're not!" A steely voice rang out from behind him. Erza flicked her red tresses as she handed them detention slips. "Fighting on school grounds, huh? One hour after school. I will be supervising." She smirked as their souls left their bodies at the thought.

"Where did Gajeel go?" She turned to the girls.

"Straight, then take a left!" Lucy and Juvia cried in unison under her softer-but-still-deadly glare.

* * *

"And that, " Erza continued with a determined huff as she set the cardboard box on the table. "Is is all of it." It wasn't really much. Just three big cardboard boxes and a long rectangular shaped black case.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "You mean they don't need any of this as evidence for the trial?"

"Yes, I'm glad that's the case." She replied, smiling at Juvia. "Once the trial is over, you'll be home free. And I'm certain everything will go in your favour."

"Juvia, hopes so."" The blue haired girl replied, fiddling with the hem of her skirt nervously. She turned to Lucy. "We really should get going now..."

Lucy nodding, catching the hint. "I'll take these, can you manage the rest?"

"Don't worry, Juvia will."

"I'd ask Natsu or Gray to help," Erza admitted a little too devilishly. "But they must be punished."

The two girls exchanged frightened glances before hurrying out the the student council office.

Back at Lucy's apartment, they began the tedious job of unpacking everything. The first box contained Juvia's clothes ranging from skimpy jumpsuits to more conservative woolly dresses and hats. Juvia sighed at the clothes and shook her head at Lucy. "All of these clothes just bring back memories Juvia does not want to reminisce. The clothes I was forced to wear at Phantom Lord," she fingered the stretchy material of the jumpsuit, "Juvia would rather donate them to some shop. And same goes for these dresses."

"This material looks pretty rare." Lucy noted. "Are these from France?"

Juvia nodded. "I kept them because I always believed I could go back. But now, Juvia is tired of wishing of bringing back the past and wanting to reliving it. Juvia-I mean, I am going to move forward. And for that, I must let go of these memories." With that she dropped all of those outfits back in the box.

Lucy bit her lip, but decided not to argue. The second box bore better fruit for them. It was filled to the brim with sketchbooks, brushes and bottles of paint.

"Y-You paint?" She asked, her eyes wide.

Juvia nodded. "Mainly watercolour." She admitted bashfully.

"Wow. Like, just wow..."

The third box held two photo albums, a small jewellery box and a very amazing pair of boots. Lucy held them up, awestruck. "I am so not letting you throw these away, these are haute couture material."

Juvia couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, Juvia loves those boots too!"

At last, Juvia carefully removed the cover of the black case, gasping as she did so. A beautiful and deadly looking rapier was nestled in silk. The blue jewels glinted of the hilt, but Juvia seemed to be astonished for a completely different reason. "Aqua..."

"Aqua?" Lucy looked at her questioningly.

"Juvia's rapier was named Aqua Slicer. Juvia didn't think she'd see it ever again." She stroked the hilt fondly, a teary expression on her face.

"I'll be back in a bit." Lucy excused herself, deciding that it was best for Juvia to spend some time alone with her things. Inside her room, the blonde heaved a sigh of relief. It had been an eventful few weeks, and Lucy wanted nothing more than to stay under the radar for a bit. Her phone which she had flung on the bed in her daze, began to ring at that second.

"Good day, Miss Lucy." Capricorn spoke quietly. "I have set the date for your photo shoot as per Mr. Heartfilia's insistence. The limousine will be arriving at your apartment complex at nine in the morning and I've –"

"Wait, tomorrow?" Lucy cut in. "I have school, for starters."

"I will have a note of absence sent in immediately. It has already been drafted."

"Not to mention that this is so sudden!" Lucy started. _This is bad. If my face is plastered on the magazines, what will everyone at school think? The last thing I want is more attention and people fawning over me..._

"I was under the impression you were told that photo shoot will be scheduled, Miss Lucy."

"Oh, father did tell me but..." Lucy trailed off, unsure how to explain it to Capricorn.

She heard a beep on the line, as the secretary received another phone call and promptly hung up with a fleeting goodbye.

"Ugh..." Lucy groaned. _What now?_

"Lucy, is everything alright?" Juvia hesitantly asked from her doorway.

"Oh, um, yeah everything's alright Juvia. It's just, I won't be able to attend school tomorrow." Lucy admitted. "Something came up."

"Oh," The dismay was clearly projected on Juvia's face. "You sure everything –"

"It's fine." Lucy said sharply, turning away. "I'm gonna go out for a bit, I need some fresh air." _I don't want to talk about it._

 _What was that?_ She was shocked at her tone. _Where did the bitterness seep in from?_

"Juvia... will go to bed now." The girl turned away, obviously upset with her. Lucy sighed, but nevertheless walked out of her apartment to avoid any further confrontation.

 _It's just not fair,_ she thought to herself. _All I wanted was a normal few months after all that chaos last year. Instead what do I get? Two months after having moved in, I'm kidnapped. I go on crazy expeditions with my friends and fight people. All my friend have tragic pasts and so much baggage. How is any different from before? For most teenagers, the biggest fear they have is whether they'll pass that history exam — or what some girl said about them. Here, the students I call my friends… they're more concerned about how to correctly aim a tranquilliser gun and whether they can knock someone unconscious with a single punch. I don't even know anymore…_

Lucy shuddered, more because of her thoughts rather than the cold wind as she walked down the street. She vaguely remembered the way to the main streets because of her walk with Natsu and Gray. _Was that just a few days ago? It seems like so much has happened since._ She shook her head at the thought. It wasn't surprising that she was overwhelmed by her thoughts. It had been a long while since Lucy had gotten time to herself. After everything that had happened, the blonde was aching to talk to someone about it…

"Lucy! OI YOU AIRHEAD! LUSHEEE!"

The blonde turned around swiftly. "Natsu? What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I should be asking you that Luce. I came to get more gloves," he started, glancing a few shops down to the same clothes store. "I saw you up ahead as I was coming out but you didn't even respond!"

Natsu started pouting as he whined. "Lushee ignored me. How _rude._ A-After everything I've done for you…"

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at the stupid faces he pulled. "I just needed some air, you idiot." Another cold breeze brushed against her cheeks, and Lucy was very thankful that she'd at least grabbed a hoodie before leaving. Glancing down, she noticed with horror that it was Natsu's jacket.

"Oh my god, not AGAIN!" She scowled. "Why don't you take your jacket back, I keep accidentally putting it on!"

Natsu held up his hands in defence. "It's not my fault you lovee my hoodie that you wear it everywhere. _And you probably don't fit in your own hoodies anymore…_ " He mock whispered.

"Don't you dare insinuate I'm fat Natsu Dragneel," Lucy glared at him. She caught sight of a coffee shop up ahead and grabbed his arm.

"And for that, you're buying me coffee!" She retorted as she pulled him forward.

Natsu couldn't help but smirk. "It's sugar in those frappes you love that makes you so fat Lushee - OUCH! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY, DON'T HIT ME PLEASE!"

Lucy only smiled in satisfaction as they walked inside. "Oh and you're totes ordering, kay!"

He groaned at her cheerfulness, but none the less got in line. Lucy was walking ahead searching for a seat when she caught sight of a familiar redhead.

"Erza! Mira! Fancy seeing you guys here." She smiled at the two seniors.

"Oh are you alone? Sit with us, I insist!" Erza looked up from her tantalisingly delicious strawberry cake to gesture to the empty seat besides them.

Mirajane was far more observant though, and smirked mischievously. "Of course not Erza. She's here with _Natsu_."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Mira, we're friends —"

"All relationships start of as friendships, Lucy. Besides, I've invested highly in this ship, I can't just give up!"

Erza burst out laughing. "And this, is exactly why I don't date."

"Shush, you're just a spoilsport" Mira pouted. "All you do is study and play sports and be responsible and ughhh isn't that so boring!" She reached over the table to poke the redhead. "Live a little! You need excitement in your life!"

"I'm fine, trust me! Besides, I have the love of my life right here!" Erza retorted, pointing at her plate.

Before Mira could respond, Natsu came with their drinks.

"Hello Head Cheerleader Tormentor, Titania Queen of Torture," Natsu greeted the two. "Lushee I don't wanna sit here, can we take these to go pwease."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What's with the hostility?"

Mira sighed. "Natsu's just mad that he's stuck with Gajeel and he blames Erza. He's been complaining constantly and…"

"She was _mean_ to me!" Natsu sulked. "And living with Gajeel is so ughh. Can I sleep with you tonight?" He asked Lucy, pouting again.

Lucy blushed against the implications, and Mira's knowing stare. "No, Natsu. Sleep in your own bed please. I already have enough to deal with geez!"

"Hmph. Can we leave though?" He glared at Erza and Mira.

"He'll come around." Erza promised, noting Lucy's worried glance. "He knows how important this is."

Lucy sighed as they left, sipping her coffee slowly. "Is it really that bad?"

Natsu grimaced. "We generally stay out of each others way, but he's been less hostile lately. He just argues alot."

"As if Gray and you don't." Lucy countered. "You three are pretty similar."

"Ehhh, I suppose. You got lucky with Juvia though…"

Another stab of guilt hit her. _I should talk to Juvia… that wasn't really fair on her._

She shrugged. "I suppose. Soo, how crazy was that last episode of Naruto? I couldn't have ever expected it, oh my…"

Natsu narrowed his eyes at her, but let her change the topic and continue her rambling. That was one of the best things about him, he knew when to stop and give her the space she needed — something many people forgot. Her mind flashed back to her father, but

Lucy stubbornly pushed him away and focused on her best friend instead.

They kept up their non stop chatter until they reached her apartment. "Hey," she started. "Thank you Natsu."

He looked at her confused. "For the coffee? Don't mention it weirdo, its the least I can do after all those times Gray and I raided your kitchen." He joked.

Lucy breathed deeply. Thats not what she meant. "Thank you for everything Natsu. Saving me from Jose, cheering me up, tonight… I don't think I can ever repay your kindness —"

"Lucy, its what friends do. We protect each other. I didn't do it as a favour, you don't hafta repay me geez. And don't thank me, I know you'd do it for me in a heartbeat too! Like, if I ever needed refuge from an angry redhead, or _Gray_ , I know I can count on you!"

Lucy smiled, relieved by his words. "I-I should go," she realised, pulling out her keys.

"Oh yeah. See you tomorrow Lucy!" He smiled at her as started to walk back to the elevator.

And thats when she recalled something. "Oh, about that…" She trailed off as the elevator doors shut.

"Ughhhh!" She grumbled. So much for telling Natsu that she wouldn't be in school tomorrow. As she entered her apartment, glancing at Juvia's sleeping form, she remembered something else.

Lucy hurriedly sped off to her room. "I'm such an airhead, I swear…"

"Hey Gray!" She greeted the boy. "Soooo, I have a small favor to ask for. Please help me out!" She begged, biting her lip. How could she have forgotten about Juvia in all this madness? The poor girl was still new here… "Can you walk to school with Juvia tomorrow?"

"Huh?" Gray sounded confused over the phone. "What about you?"

"I have an appointment." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie. More like the vague truth. Lucy scowled. "Ahhhh I can't thank you enough! I owe you."

"Oh, its nothing." He assured her. "I'll have Gajeel with me, so its good if he has at least one person to talk to."

"Wait, so things aren't so good?" Lucy probed. She might've forgiven Gajeel, but she had yet to make peace with him. He seemed like such a strange character. Every thing she had heard about him seemed so different from what Levy said. Even in school, he seemed tolerable — not a monster.

"Its not as bad I thought, to be honest." Gray admitted. "Natsu and him are always butting heads over something, so thats entertaining to watch. But sometimes it gets a little too heated —"

He broke off, and Lucy could make out faint shouting.

"Annnnd its time to intervene. Bye Lucy!"

"See ya!" She hung up, glancing at the roof of her room to the fourth floor where there was probably another argument raging. "Well, at least we're all safe this time." She reasoned, before falling down on her bed, exhausted.

* * *

 **The quote Levy was trying to recall is from the book, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini :** ** _"Of all the hardships a person had to face, none was more punishing than the simple act of waiting."_**


End file.
